Opportunity
by SilverKitsune2017
Summary: Sasuke could do better. He could build a better world than the one that had so callously tossed his brother aside to suit their narrative. He overthrew the Leaf. He knew many would disagree with his methods. But the ends justified the means. He wanted chance for a better world; he never expected for it to include love. But it did. Well when opportunity knocks...
1. Chapter 1

Opportunity

Author's Note: This story was requested by LilEngineGirl. I try to give people who are the 100th reviewer on my stories a prize. This was her request. Any reviews are greatly appreciated.

Warning: Darker Sasuke than usual. She seems to have wanted them more in character. That means Sasuke wants revenge. Hinata is shy. He's probably going to come off as a villain at first. But all my stories do eventually have happy endings. ^^

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no profit off of any of my stories.

Chapter One

Sasuke Uchiha had always been a very goal driven individual. As a child, he had sought his father's approval more than anything. After the massacre, he had wanted revenge with an even greater intensity. His quest for revenge had nearly consumed him. After he learned the truth about the Uchiha Massacre and the HELL the Leaf had put his brother through, well a new goal formed in his mind. He could and would do BETTER.

The Leaf's sunny façade was a joke. It was built on a foundation of lies and secrets. They liked to present themselves as the "good guys." They were not.

Well at least those who were REALLY in charge were not. Most of the population as oblivious to what was going on behind the scenes. People such as Danzo and Obito had played the Leaf like a fiddle for years.

"It was almost too easy," he mutters as he heads into the Leaf's Prison.

Naruto had wanted so badly to believe that Sasuke had a change of heart. He had fought side by side with his former team to take out Madara. So maybe the blonde could be forgiven for being naïve.

Did the blonde think he was actually going to just let it all go? His clan had helped to found the Leaf Village. And how were they repaid? They were completely isolated from the rest of the village. Eventually they had been isolated to such an extent, that they had felt they had no other option other than to pull off a coup.

The Leaf found out about the plot though. Then they had forced his beloved older brother to butcher every single member of their clan, save for himself. They were too chicken to do it themselves. No, they wouldn't stand against the might of his clan. They'd have Itachi carry out the dirty work.

"Their biggest mistake was sparing me," he says, smirking to himself.

Sasuke had told Naruto that he wanted to go on a journey of redemption. Both he and Kakashi bought it. He expected Naruto to be easily fooled. But the fact that Kakashi bought it, well that was somewhat disappointing. He had thought his former teacher smarter than that. Oh well.

"How many have been captured," Sasuke asks Jugo.

Sasuke liked Jugo. Well as much as the dark haired avenger ever liked anyone. Jugo was strong. Jugo was loyal. Jugo didn't ask questions. He'd be perfect if the other side of his personality could be channeled. For whatever reason, the orange haired man viewed Sasuke as a "replacement" for Kimimaro and thus was calmed by his presence.

"We've captured and restrained all the Leaf ninjas who weren't able to flee," he answers.

"Good," Sasuke says.

While on his journey of "redemption", Sasuke had actually been recruiting. Sasuke and Naruto were now widely viewed as the two strongest ninjas in the world. Not all ninjas shared Naruto's sunny philosophy on life. Some were all too happy to share Sasuke's more…realistic view on life.

They would work together and rebuild the ninja world from scratch. Never again would another ninja be forced into Itachi's position, if Sasuke had his way. It wasn't going to happen. He'd ensure it by becoming Hokage. But a different kind of Hokage. One who knew all too well what happened in the shadows.

"The attack was a success. Now just need to do the sorting of who to keep and who to kill," he states.

The attack had been swift and brutal. The Leaf had lulled itself into a false sense of security. They had Naruto and Sasuke after all. Who could possibly pose a threat to their village when they had the two titans to watch over them?

Sasuke had easily knocked Naruto out with a blow to his head, while they were in his office. The blonde had been doing some paperwork and actually trusted Sasuke enough to expose his back to him. Foolish move.

Now it had come to this. Sasuke was going to the prison to assess the number of captives and who, if anyone, would be useful. It looked like some of his followers had placed the female and male ninjas in separate rooms. He smacks his forehead. This had better not be going, where he thought it was.

"They better not be that stupid," he mutters to himself.

He had told them to strip search the men and women. Check to see if they had any hidden weapons on them. Sasuke had specifically told them to keep the lingerie and underwear on. They were ninjas. They should be afforded at least some dignity.

He noticed one of the guards seeming to enjoy his task a little too much. The man was practically groping one of the women. He loathed to admit it, but the guard had good taste. She was beautiful. Her name escaped Sasuke at the moment, but her eyes told him that she was a Hyuga.

"Get your filthy hands off of her before I remove them for you," Sasuke hisses.

The guard blinks and turns around. Uh oh. It was the boss and he looked pissed. His voice promised pain. With his Sharingan and Rinnegan whirling, the last Uchiha looked like a demon straight out of the pits of Hell. He gulps and takes his hands off the lovely silk clad breasts of the pretty little ninja he had tied up. Yeah, was gorgeous but she wasn't worth dying for.

"We are going to start a new era in the ninja world. Anyone who wants to tarnish that legacy with rape, WILL die. Do I make myself clear," he growls.

"YES, SIR," they all chorus.

"Good. Leave all of you," he orders.

His henchmen say what you want about them, were smart enough to scram. He looks at the women. The last Uchiha decided to test their temperament.

All of them had to know now that he had the upper hand. The only reason they were still alive is because he wanted to be. Best to draw out the martyrs first.

"Kurenai," he says walking over one of the older female ninjas.

She wisely chooses to remain silent. Her hot pink or red eyes, depending on the light, were eying him warily. Sasuke couldn't blame her.

"You have a daughter if memory serves," he states conversationally.

"Don't you touch her," she hisses.

"What kind of monster do you take me for? I'll take that as a yes. Be smart and surrender. I don't have a reason kill you. Don't give me one," he says, walking over to Ino.

"Ino, you're annoying. But your clan's mental jutsus are useful. You aren't going to be annoying this time, are you," he questions.

Ino freezes up. She was like a deer in the headlights. Those eyes were the eyes of a killer. He'd do it. She knew he'd actually kill her and possibly everyone in this room if they gave the "wrong answer."

"I'll take that as a no," he states, gliding over to Tenten.

"Tenten right? You I don't know that much about. I saw you lose to Temari in the Chunin exams, but she was older. You performed decently. So would you prefer a quick martyr's death now or to live," he asks.

Sasuke continues going around the room. He did so slowly, deliberately trying to make them more nervous as he gives these brief assessments. Finally, it was Sakura's turn.

"You claimed to love me. Yet you tried to kill me. But you just weren't strong enough. Then after realizing that it would be better for the village if I was dead, you actually believed that I was going to allow myself to become a lapdog for the village. You believed that I'd just forget everything the Leaf has done to my family. So I guess the question is just how dumb are you," he asks mockingly.

"Sasuke," she starts to say.

"Give me a reason to do it Sakura. The only reason you are still breathing is because of your medical skills. You tried to stab me in the back once, you'll try it again. Not that you ever could kill me. You're weak. But it's the principle of the thing," he says and presses his sword against her throat.

"NO! PLEASE DON'T," Hinata cries out.

Sasuke smirks, withdrawing his sword. He looks to see which one of them had intervened. He tilts his head to the side. The Hyuga?

From what little he remembered of her, she was a little mouse. The girl had a crush on Naruto for years and always fainted around him. He hadn't expected her to try to save Sakura. Were they even friends?

"That was unexpected," he murmurs as he walks over to Hinata.

"Why shouldn't I," he asks in amusement.

"Because you don't kill in cold bloo-d," she stammers.

"And what makes you say that," he demands.

"If you d-id, we'd already be dea-d," Hinata somehow manages stutter out.

"You're perceptive," he says, grabbing her chin.

"Th-ank you," Hinata didn't know what else to say.

"But don't mistake the fact that everyone in this room is still breathing for some sense of mercy or honor. All of you are skilled ninjas. You know the Leaf. That makes you more useful than most of the followers I've gathered," he states.

"I don't think you are l-ying, but you aren't telling the wh-ole truth. There's a part of you that doesn't want to do this," she replies.

"You're brave. I expected there to be a martyr in the crowd. I didn't expect it to be you. Out of all these women, you are the only one who tried to help your comrade. The loser is an idiot," Sasuke unsheathes his sword.

"NO DON'T," the other ninjas all cry out in horror.

Hinata shuts her eyes. She firmly expected to die immediately. But instead of delivering a lethal blow, it slashed through the chains. She opens her eyes cautiously.

"I'm not going to kill you," he states.

"You aren't," she asks.

"No. You're too valuable," he responds.

"How," Hinata asks warily.

"I'll leave it to your imagination," he replies and starts pulling his long sleeved shirt off.

That draws looks of confusion, shock, and concern from the other women. Sasuke clearly had stopped the guard from having a go at Hinata. But did that mean that Sasuke would hold himself to the same standard?

"Here, it will work for now. Come with me. I'm assuming that you are smarter than Sakura and not stupid enough to try to stab me in the back," he says as he pulls his shirt onto Hinata.

Sasuke was significantly taller than Hinata and it was a long shirt. So it reached to her knees with ease. It was more than enough to preserve her modesty, even if it did look odd.

"Th-ank you," she says in shock.

Sasuke doesn't respond to that. He walks ahead of her, at a swift pace. One that Hinata could keep up with some difficulty.

As they were walking out of the prison, she noticed some of Sasuke's "followers," giving them looks. She feels her face heat up. It didn't take a genius to realize what they were thinking.

She was walking behind Sasuke, wearing only his shirt. They probably thought that they were lovers. It was almost enough to make her faint. But she couldn't faint. Not now!

"Where are we going," she asks.

Sasuke was well aware of what everyone who saw them walking together probably thought. He personally did not give a fuck. He had two options. He could lend her his shirt or he could have her parade about in her lingerie. The second of which made him seem like a sadistic deviant. The first option made it look like they were lovers. The first option as more acceptable than the second.

"To your new home," he answers smoothly.

He heads to the Uchiha District. Hinata could see people setting up a base there. There had to be at least a hundred or more ninjas bringing things in, cleaning out various houses, or accomplishing other tasks. Few of these ninjas had headbands. All Five Great Nations and even a couple of the Island Nations were represented by the handful of headbands that were present. Sasuke it seemed was not picky about where his followers hailed from.

"Come," he orders, taking her hand, and pulling her inside what seemed to be the largest of the buildings.

"Was this your home," she inquires.

"Yes," he answers simply and leads her towards one of the rooms.

Hinata looks around. It was a beautiful room, though simple. The walls were white and the carpet a lovely light blue color. There was a fairly large bed with navy blue blankets, pillows, and sheets. In the back of the room there was a white door, she assumed it connected to a bathroom. There was a desk by the bed, which had a lamp. In the corner of the room there was a rather stately looking grandfather clock. The crowning jewels of the room as far as furniture went was an oak wardrobe and a gorgeous vanity.

"It's beautiful," she finds herself saying, without thinking.

"I'm glad you like it. It's yours now," he states.

"You're giving me this room," she asks, perplexed.

"It suits you," he says as if that explained everything.

"Oh…thank you," she says, deciding it'd be a really dumb idea to argue at the moment.

"The clothes might be old fashioned, but I imagine you'll prefer them to wearing my shirt. This was my grandmother's room after my grandfather died. He passed a couple years before the massacre," Sasuke states.

"I'm sorry," she replies.

"You have nothing to apologize for. But don't worry, those who have will suffer," he promises with conviction.

He frowns. With most people, he knew that any expression of sympathy was done out of politeness or fear. Hinata actually sounded sincere. He barely knew her, but one look at those eyes and he knew she was incapable of lying. Her expressive eyes gave away her every thought.

"You brought me here for a reason," Hinata says.

"Yes. You're a Hyuga. Your clan still carries a tremendous amount of prestige. If you publicly swear loyalty to me, it will make things go more smoothly. That and you are well liked. Your word goes a long way," Sasuke explains.

"You won't hurt anyone, if I do what you are asking," she pleads.

Sasuke tilts his head to the side, as if considering something. The last Uchiha strides over to her. He walks around her in a circle, until he was at her back. Slowly, he slides his hands underneath his shirt that she was wearing.

"Funny," he muses.

"What is," Hinata dares to ask.

"I half expected angel wings. Only you would be trying to bargain for the lives of others in your position," he states in a tone she couldn't quite identify. (Was that mocking? Was it amusement?)

"I don't know you well enough to tell if you mean that as a compliment or insult," she finds herself saying.

Instantly she regretted it. It wasn't wise to grab a tiger's tail and expect them not to bite. She braces herself for whatever he'd do.

"A little of both. I admire your loyalty. It's just to the wrong people," he shocks her by saying.

"What do you mean to the wrong people," she finds herself asking.

"Think about it. Ignore what happened to my family. Nearly all of the village treated Naruto as an outcast until he saved their sorry asses. They made a child into a pariah because he hosted a demon unwittingly. They left both of us to fend for ourselves. Not one person ever offered to take us in. Your Clan forces half of its members into slavery. As for you, they don't see you. They take you for granted," he elaborates.

Hinata winces. She couldn't argue with his logic. The village had treated Naruto horribly as a child. No one had offered Naruto or Sasuke a home. They were neglected children. Nor could she deny the slavery remark. As much as it stung, it was the truth. The only thing she could take any issue with was his last remark.

"How do they take me for granted," she asks.

"Your kindness. They take advantage of it. It's easy to overlook you because you are so kind. Look at Naruto. You were in love with him for years and he never noticed you," Sasuke continues.

"H-e noticed me. He's my friend," Hinata protests.

"You didn't want to be just friends though," Sasuke responds.

 _It was true. Every since the day Naruto stood up for Hinata as a small child getting teased by those older kids, she had felt something for the blonde. When she got older, she realized what it was. It was love._

 _Well at least she had convinced herself it was love. It was really crush. Naruto was everything she wasn't. He was loud, outspoken, confident, and he never gave up. Everyone noticed him (for better or worse.) While she was just a wallflower. She was a disappointment to her father, she knew._

 _It had taken her years. But she finally had worked up the courage to tell Naruto how she felt. She found him at the training grounds and approached him._

 _"N-aruto," she calls out._

 _"Oh, hey Hinata," he had said._

 _"Th-ere's something I need to tell you," the bluenette told him._

 _"Alright. What is it? Why do you look all serious," the blonde questioned, while tilting his head._

 _"I love you! I always have," she declared._

 _"I love you too, Hinata," the blue eyed ninja had responded._

 _"Really," she had asked, beaming._

 _"Of course," the orange loving man had replied._

 _Hinata smiled widely. She ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Hinata placed a shy kiss on his lips. Naruto loved her! He loved her!_

 _Something was wrong though. He wasn't kissing back. Why wasn't he kissing back? He said he loved her. People in love kissed…_

 _"Whoa! Hinata, I think we got a little mixed up there," Naruto says sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head._

 _"Mixed up," she asks in confusion._

 _"Yeah. When I said I loved you, I meant as a friend. You know like a sister," he says awkwardly._

 _"Oh," Hinata murmured as she felt her heart shattered into a thousand pieces._

 _"Please don't be sad! I mean you're great! Really. You're really nice and you're pretty! Lots of guys would love to have you as their girlfriend. I just don't feel that way about you," he continued._

 _"I-t's okay, Naruto. I understand. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," she responds, looking at her feet, trying to use her long hair to hide her tears._

 _"It's fine. I'm glad you told me. Friends should be able to be honest. Do you want to go get some ramen or something," he offered awkwardly._

 _"No. I thin-k I should head home. Father will worry if I'm out much later," she had said and walked off._

 _She had wanted nothing more than to run like a bat out of Hell. But she knew she couldn't. If Naruto saw her running, he'd feel awful. He might not love her, but she loved him. (Or so she thought at the time.)_

"So you told him after all," Sasuke says.

"Wh-at do you mean," she asks.

"I can tell by the look in your eyes. The sadness speaks for itself. He rejected you," the last Uchiha states.

"You c-an't force love," she replies, trying to avoid his gaze.

It was bad enough that Naruto didn't return her feelings. She definitely didn't need Sasuke mocking her about it. She had just barely formed a scab over that open wound in her heart. She didn't want it ripped off.

"You're right about that. Too bad you didn't explain that to Sakura, Ino, and Karin a few years ago," he replies, dryly.

"Was that a joke," she responds, blinking.

"Partially. Mostly it was true though. But the point remains, the Leaf has done nothing for you. It's only caused you pain," he continues.

"It's not like that," she replies.

"Oh really. So you are telling me that half of your clan isn't enslaved, you aren't overlooked, and the loser didn't break your heart," he inquires.

"…," Hinata chooses to remain silent, she couldn't argue with the truth.

"You see, you know it's the truth. You just won't admit it," he says, reaching into his pocket for something.

She felt his arms around her neck. There was something cool placed between the valley of her breasts. The Hyuga Heiress looks to see what it was.

It was a necklace. It was stunning. A simple black leather chain with the Uchiha crest attached. It was carved out of diamonds and rubies.

"Keep that on you. It'll let the others know you are off limits. I don't want any repeats of earlier," he says, referring to when the guard he touched her.

Hinata was grateful Sasuke had stepped in. She wasn't completely naïve. She realized that it was very possible that the last Uchiha had prevented something horrible from happening. He was no White Knight but there was at least some small part of him that was still good. Maybe she could use that to save everyone.

I'll keep it on," she promises.

"Good. Get some rest. In the morning, a Revolution starts. Don't try to run. There will be over 200 ninjas stationed at the District tonight. One of them will catch you," he states, sauntering to the door with the grace of a predator.

That's what Sasuke reminded her of. He was like a black panther that had taken human form. It was all deadly grace. At any moment, he might pounce, and rip you to shreds.

"Okay," she squeaks.

Sasuke sighs heads to check on his new team. Suigetsu, Karin, and Jugo had become relatively permanent fixtures in his new life. Suigetsu he was sure was going to be an idiot. Karin was going to howl like a banshee if she found out what happened to his shirt. Jugo… well he'd probably be quiet.

"There you are. Sasuke why are you walking around shirtless," Suigetsu asks.

"I lent my shirt to one of the prisoners, who I believe will prove useful," he answers.

"Who'd you give your shirt to," Karin asks.

"That's none of your concern," Sasuke replies in a slightly irritated way.

"Yo boss, did you get the Hyuga girl set up," one of the guards asks.

"Dammit," Sasuke smacks his forehead with his head for the second time that evening.

"Yes, I did. GO," he barks at the stupid guard.

"Ohhh. I get it. So that's your thing," Suigetsu says slyly.

"Excuse me," Sasuke asks, twitching.

"No wonder you aren't into Karin. In addition to being a banshee, she's flat as a board. But Hinata has a gorgeous pair of ti-," Suigetsu didn't get to finish his sentence as Sasuke slams him into the side of a building.

"Don't talk about her that way. She's a Hyuga. Hyugas are a noble clan. The Hyugas are the closest thing to family I have. I won't have you dishonor them by talking about her like she's some prostitute at a brothel," he hisses.

"Whoa. Easy. Easy. Wait you are related to the Hyugas? Then why didn't they take you in," the white haired man asks.

"It's very distant. My Clan and the Hyugas both are descended from the Otsutsuki clan," he explains.

"Oh that shit goes back hundreds of years, if not thousands. So if you wanted to fuck her, it wouldn't be incest," he muses.

"What did I just say," Sasuke growls, grasping Suigetsu's neck in his hands.

Suigetsu flails wildly. He was rapidly losing the ability to breathe. The decreased amount of oxygen to his brain was sending him into a panic.

"Sasuke, if you don't let go of him, you are going to kill him," Jugo offers.

"Fine," Sasuke says and drops Suigetsu to the ground.

"Damn you need an anger management class," the sword lover says, gasping for breath.

"And you need a functional brain. I guess we are both out of luck," Sasuke says dryly.


	2. Chapter 2

Opportunity

Author's Note: Well it doesn't have the most reviews, but it had the most glowing ones. Dark Sasuke appears to be a hit. ^^ So I decided to update this one first today. I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter Two

The next morning, Sasuke came to get Hinata. He didn't know why he felt he should personally get her. Maybe it was the barely traceable family ties? Maybe it was because in some sick, twisted way he found her innocence fascinating. Privately, he admitted in his head it was more the latter than the faint familial connection.

"I used to be like that," he mutters to himself.

 _Unbidden an image of his younger self come to his mind. He had received the ninja version of a Report Card from the Academy. Sasuke had done well, really well. He was proud of himself. Now his father would notice him!_

 _The Uchiha Patriarch was a stern and intimidating individual. At some point, his mother must have informed Fugaku that Sasuke wanted to show him something. Really that was the fastest way to get his attention._

 _Fugaku never ignored his wife. So if you wanted a fast response, it was a good idea to ask Mikoto to speak to him on your behalf. Everyone in the clan knew this. It was the worst kept secret in the Uchiha District._

 _His father cut an imposing figure. Even when he was just sitting on a tea matt in his study. He sat on his knees. Sasuke mimicked his father and thrust the report at his father with the eagerness that only young children possessed._

 _"If you keep this up, you will be a skilled ninja like your brother," he had said after his keen eyes studied the report._

 _"Thank you father," Sasuke said and tried to hide his disappointment._

 _He was supposed to say, "As expected of my son." He did it for Itachi! That's when Sasuke first felt jealousy. It was the very first chip away at his innocence._

 _The child was disgusted with himself. He loved his big brother! He shouldn't be jealous of Itachi. It wasn't Itachi's fault that their father barely noticed him._

"I wonder what he would think of me now," he muses .

He tries to shake himself out of his trip down memory lane. Sasuke knocks on Hinata's door. Why he was knocking and not just going straight inside, he didn't know.

The Hyuga had a certain quality about her that brought out some long forgotten sense of chivalry. It was rude to barge into a woman's room unannounced. (Shisui had told him that once.)

Hinata's heart was pounding. She knew exactly who was behind that door. Sasuke seemed to have sudden mood swings. One moment he'd have a sword at someone's throat and the next he'd bestow upon someone else a beautiful room. He was unpredictable in his current state. She couldn't lie. It was terrifying.

She briefly wondered if he was mentally unstable. The Hyuga dismisses that thought almost as quickly as it came. His actions had a reason behind them. He wasn't doing any of this at random. He was enjoying _fucking with them._ Sasuke was taking some sort of sick pleasure out of scaring everyone half to death. At his core, he was still an avenger.

"Good morning, Sasuke," she says once she opened the door.

"Morning," he responds and couldn't completely bite back a dark laugh. She was his prisoner. He'd taken over the Leaf. But here she was exchanging pleasantries. Here she was trying to be polite to her captor. Only Hinata, he thought. The Hyuga was actually trying to pretend that everything was normal. Fine by him, he'd humor her for now.

"Why are you laughing," she asks uncertainly.

Did he imagine it or was there a hint of fear in her voice? Well he'd more than given her a reason to be afraid of him. Still for whatever reason, the thought of her being frightened of him was…annoying.

Sasuke didn't know why. He didn't want her to be afraid of him. He blamed it on her beautiful, expressive eyes. He'd never thought of the Byakugan as particularly attractive, even in its dormant state. Most of the Hyuga eyes looked like ice to him. Cold and so unfeeling. That definitely wasn't the case with the woman before him. He could read her every thought like the pages in a book. Her eyes were that honest.

"You amuse me. You're my prisoner and you greet me with good morning," he answers honestly, without thinking about it.

"Oh. What should I have said," she replies.

"Most would have remained silent or begged. I see my grandmother's kimono fits you. It suits you," he states.

His grandmother had taken great pride in her wardrobe. During her day, all of her clothes were considered to be the height of fashion. Once he'd asked his mother about it.

His mother had always had such simple tastes compared to her own mother in this regard. She had just smiled and said that Aiya liked playing dress up for Sasuke's grandfather before his passing. The habit had stuck. It was her way of honoring her late husband.

Now years later, Sasuke understood that "dress up," was probably a whole lot less innocent than he had originally interpreted. Still his grandmother had been a kind woman and made the best cookies. She had lived up to her name, Aiya. It meant beautiful silk. That is generally what she wore.

Hinata had chosen a white silk kimono with intricate blue flower designs spiraled along it. The colors flattered her. The silk caressed her elegantly. Sasuke was not the type of person who spent a lot of time on fairytales. But one thought still came to his mind. _She looks like a princess._

"Th-ank you," she replies.

Frowning he noticed the bags under her eyes. It was doubtful she had gotten any sleep. He had told her to be well rested. The thought occurred to him that maybe she'd been too scared to sleep. It was certainly a possibility.

"Hinata, you disobeyed my order," he states.

"What order," she asks, gulping.

"I told you to rest. I can tell by the circles under your eyes you didn't. I should punish you. But I'll be lenient this time because you didn't try to escape," he answers.

He tries to banish thoughts of what punishment could have entailed from his mind. But it was no use. Sasuke had received a FULL education at the Sound Village with Orochimaru and on his travels. He wasn't the innocent that Hinata was.

The last Uchiha had never accepted any of the offers to join his fellow ninjas in their carnal delights (and in some cases horrors.) But well when it came down to it, curiosity was a powerful force. He had once in awhile watched. After all, he had to restore his clan one day. It was important to know how to please his future wife. Some of the things he had aroused his…interest. Other things were disgusting. When it came to sexuality, ninja tastes ran the gauntlet from innocent to sadistic.

"I'm sorry," she says.

None of the women at the Sound or during his travels were worthy of baring his children. While some might be attractive, they were usually insane or clingy. Sasuke was not going to have an insane woman mother his children and he hated clingy. That was why he had no interest in women like Sakura, Karin, Ino, or any of the other dozen or so girls that had followed him around like lost puppies in the Leaf Village.

He viewed sexual activity with someone had no intention of having children with as a waste. Sex for fun was perfectly acceptable. Sex with a woman that you wouldn't want to bare your child was STUPID. Accidents happened.

"I couldn't sleep," she answers honestly.

"Perhaps some training will exhaust you sufficiently that you won't have an issue sleeping tonight," he half threatens.

"Training," she asks.

"Of course. This is still a ninja village, after all," he opens the door and gestures for her to walk out.

Now where was he? Oh yeah about that punishment. He was tempted to just hike up the bottom of her kimono and smack her ass until the point was driven home. He was not to be disobeyed ever. He blamed his unintended perversion on the fact that judging by the way that kimono hugged Hinata's ass, she had a VERY nice one.

He'd flown off the handle at Suigetsu for his foul mouth. But the white haired man had been right. Sasuke had seen Hinata in her lingerie. That was more than enough to admit that yes, she did have stunning breasts. It was too bad really that she'd probably faint if he ever told her so. Besides, stabilizing his stranglehold on the Leaf took priority over any physical attraction.

"It's only a short walk," he tells her.

Hinata nervously walks alongside Sasuke. The bluenette had no idea what Sasuke's version of training was. But she knew one thing. It was likely a lot rougher than she was accustomed to.

Oh she had grown stronger since the war. Even her father had been impressed by her rate of improvement. But she wasn't delusional. Sasuke Uchiha was in a completely different league when it came to skill. At best she could hope to launch a sneak attack and lock up his chakra or run. She was sure even these tactics would only lead to her death. Hinata was many things. But she wasn't suicidal.

They soon come to the village square. Hinata saw that most of the Leaf ninjas were chakra bound and sitting on their knees. Sasuke probably enjoyed putting them in that humiliating pose. But she was relieved to see that most of them looked relatively uninjured.

"As I told you last night, you all have a choice. You can deal with the new reality that the Leaf is now under MY control or you can become martyrs. The decision is entirely up to you," Sasuke states.

It was horrifying. He spoke as if he was pondering whether or not to swat a fly. Beautiful kimonos and rooms aside, Hinata was reminded that Sasuke was very dangerous.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE LORD HOKAGE," one of them yells.

"The loser? Oh he's still alive if that's what you are worried about. Why would I kill him? He's my greatest insurance. None of the other Kage would risk attacking if they know that I could kill him or that I've hidden him away somewhere they'd never be able to find him, " continues as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The Leaf Ninjas look at each other. It was clear that they were debating whether or not to believe Sasuke's word. Was Naruto really alive? There might be hope after all. Surely Naruto would escape and save them. He'd done it countless times before.

"Any other questions," Sasuke says mockingly.

"He'll escape and stop you," one of them says.

"Your faith in Naruto is adorably childish. He's powerful. But he's stupid. It was so fucking easy to trick him. He wanted so badly to believe that I'd forgive this village for everything it did. Oh and I find it amusing that once again you are all waiting for him to save you. The child you scorned is the same man who you have put all your faith in. It's ironic," Sasuke states coldly.

It was at that moment that Hinata knew that man might very well be enjoying his last few seconds on this earth. She had to do something. Maybe she could talk Sasuke out of it. It had worked before with Sakura. Could another miracle happen?

The villager who had made that declaration wisely goes silent. Perhaps he was smart enough to realize that he couldn't argue Sasuke's point. It was the truth. Maybe he just realized he didn't want to die today and was going silent out of a sense of self preservation.

"Any last words," the last Uchiha saunters over to the man, with his blade raised.

"SASUKE DON'T," Hinata cries out.

"Don't you ever get tired of it," Sasuke snaps at her.

"Tired of what," she asks warily.

"Trying to save them," he answers.

"No! Sasuke please don't kill him. He isn't at threat to you. He's a Chunin," she tries to reason with him.

"You really should thank the woman," Sasuke says conversationally as he slams his fist into the man's ribs.

The Chunin cries out in agony. He coughs up blood and feels his vision go blurry. The sheer force of the hit was enough to make him nearly lose consciousness. He willed himself to stay awake. He knew that if he passed out, Sasuke would kill him.

"She just saved your miserable life after all. But upon further reflection," he says and grabs the man by the neck, slamming him into the ground.

"She's right. You'll suffer a lot more once you know that it is hopeless. This time Naruto isn't going to save you," he smirks.

"Take the trash away. Throw him in the prison," Sasuke tells Jugo.

The orange haired man, grabs the nearly unconscious man, and hurls him over his shoulder. Hinata wasn't sure if she imagined it or not, but she thought she heard the man thanking her. She watches helplessly as he was carted off to the prison.

"Anyone else want to give out declarations of childish faith in your beloved leader," Sasuke growls.

There was absolute silence. You could have heard a pin drop. Sasuke seemed satisfied and orders Suigetsu to start dividing the ninjas into training groups.

He surprises Hinata by dragging the young woman off. They walked for a few minutes until they were out of sight of the crowd. Ironically enough, they were standing by a candy shop.

Sasuke pushes her against the wall. His Sharingan and Rinnegan were activated. But somehow Hinata didn't feel threatened at the moment.

"I don't know how you do it," he muses, his eyes searching hers for something.

"Do what," she replies.

"Hold onto your innocence. I'm sure you saw the bloodshed of the war at a minimum. You've seen the horrors of slavery or at least are aware of what goes on behind closed doors at the Hyuga Estate. You were rejected by the man you loved. Yet, you are still so damn selfless. That's twice that you intervened to save the life of someone else. You had to know that it could have cost you your own life. What makes them worth such a risk? What makes them worth saving," he demands to know.

"Everyone is worth saving," she answers.

"Everyone," he questions, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," she answers with conviction and Sasuke noted that the stutter was absent in her reply.

"Even me," he questions.

"Of course," she replies as if it was obvious.

Sasuke didn't know how to deal with her. She seriously meant it. Honestly, he expected to see a white fluffy pair of wings burst forth from her back any moment now. Hadn't she just seen him beat one of her comrades? Yet here she was telling him that he was worth saving. Hinata he mused, was really an angel. That was the only logical explanation.

"Angels don't last long in a world full of demons," he mutters and surprises himself by caressing her cheek.

Hinata blinks. Most people would have said that other than hatred, Sasuke didn't have any other emotions. But they were wrong. He actually cycled through them so rapidly, that she was having trouble keeping up.

One moment, he was breaking a man's ribs. The next he was caressing her cheek so tenderly. Gentle wasn't a word she would have associated with him before. But that's how he was touching her cheek currently. Was it all an act? Was he trying to lure her into a false sense of security?

"Better to live a day as a lion, than a lifetime as a lamb," she finds herself saying.

"That's funny coming from the shyest ninja I've ever met," he actually smiles.

"There are different kinds of strengths. True strength is about more than just destruction," she replies, not sure why she was pressing her luck.

"Like Itachi. Tell me, what do you think of your precious village, ordering a massacre," he asks her sarcastically.

"It makes me sad. It was preventable," she answers.

"You should thank me. If they did it to my clan, they likely would have done it to yours eventually. The Leaf loves its weapons. But they discard them quickly once they've outlived their usefulness," he states.

"They wouldn't have done it again," she tells him.

"You have entirely too much faith in these people. The Leaf is nothing but a bunch of idiots and a few liars who keep the illusion running smoothly," he informs her.

"And what am I? An idiot or a liar," she asks boldly.

"Neither. You're an angel. You're the exception," he answers.

"Is it true what you said back there, about Naruto still being alive," she questions.

"It always comes back to the loser for you," Sasuke snaps.

He didn't know why it upset him so much. Was he jealous? No, that couldn't be it. He didn't give a fuck that the village saw Naruto as their hero now. He thought them hypocritical. So why should he care that Hinata was asking about her childhood crush's safety?

"That's not an answer," she replies.

"Yes, he's safe. I don't know why you care. He cast you aside," Sasuke growls.

"Because he's my friend," she declares.

"Well you should go get assigned to a training group," he decides to ignore that comment and walks off.

Speaking of Hianta's "friend," Sasuke decides to check on the idiot. He smirks as he goes deep underground. There was a hidden bunker underneath the Leaf. One that his clan had made in case of emergencies and never told anyone else about.

"BASTARD," Naruto snarls out.

"My parents were married when they had me," Sasuke mocks him.

"You know what I meant! You have to be under the influence of some jutsu. You were happy! Everything was going great," the blonde says.

"I was never happy. I haven't been happy since I was seven. I faked it. You bought it. You are a sucker. I bet if a woman faked an orgasm you'd believe that too," he scoffs.

"…," Naruto was speechless.

The blonde didn't know how to respond to that. It was so vicious. But the shocking thing was Sasuke referencing anything remotely sexual.

"Cat got your tongue," Sasuke mocks.

"If you let me go now, it's not too late. We can fix this," he states.

"It's too late. I don't want to kill you idiot. You are just leverage. If you insist on being stupid though, I will if it comes down to it," he threatens and places a cup of water by the blonde's lips.

Naruto drinks the water. He eyes Sasuke warily. How could he have misread his friend so badly? He'd come back to the village willingly. He had said he wanted to go on a journey of redemption. Yet, Sasuke had used the time to gather followers.

"Is everyone okay? Have you killed anyone," he demands to know.

"The deaths during the actual fight were minimal. I need soldiers after all. Why waste talent needlessly? After the battle, not yet. You have Hinata to thank for that," he replies smoothly.

"Hinata?! Bastard if you hurt her, so help me God," he begins to say and Sasuke gags him.

"If I hurt her, you'll what? Kill me? You are at my mercy. It only takes one swing of my sword and you are gone. You are only still alive because I view you as more useful breathing than not. But I can be persuaded to change my mind, quite easily," he threatens.

Naruto felt guilty. He knew that he had hurt Hinata. He hadn't meant to. It was just he saw her as more of a sister than a potential lover. But she understood. Well he thought she did. If she was telling Sasuke about it, then she must still be hurting.

Naruto couldn't reply. The blue eyes glare at him though. Sasuke scowls. He didn't want to deal with Naruto's judgmental looks. It was annoying.

"Surprised you give a fuck about her. You are the one that turned her down. You're an idiot by the way. Clearly you haven't seen her in lingerie," Sasuke taunts him.

That did it. Naruto tries to lunge at the bastard. He was going to get out of here. He'd make things right again. BELIEVE IT!


	3. Chapter 3

Opportunity

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews ^^. This story seems to be flying under the radar compared to Enchanting. But the reception of darker Sasuke has been really positive. Anyway, onto chapter three!

Chapter Notation: Not sure if there are any electives in the Academy. I assume there aren't. So Sasuke goes into something of a teacher/administer mode here. Nickname explanation. According to the wiki in _The Road to Ninja,_ Sasuke does call Hinata kitten. Well the Japanese word for it. ;) So yeah I was like I can work with this. Oh and as for the Samurai vs. Ninja thing, I made that up. That's my own take on it. It might or might not be cannon.

Chapter Three

Village life was now starting to settle into a pattern a week after the hostile takeover. At the moment most ninjas were getting physicals and running what was known as _The Gauntlet._ The Gauntlet turned out to be a wicked obstacle course. It was designed to test all your ninja skills to find out your strength and weaknesses.

"Damn," one ninja says, collapsing just finished his own Gauntlet assessment.

"Your Taijutsu is better than average. Your ninjutsu is weak. Your Genjutsu is average. I've seen worse. You won't make Jonin with those results anytime soon though," Karin informs him.

"G-reat," he says, panting.

Karin took her job very seriously. She had to get all these ninjas tested and ranked. Once they had run the _The Gauntlet_ they had some accurate and most importantly, current, information on their abilities. Such information would come in handy later if anyone thought to challenge Sasuke. That and it allowed them to tailor their training programs with ease.

She hadn't been happy when she saw that the Hyuga girl had worn Sasuke's shirt. Even more upsetting was how he had been so angry with Suigetsu for talking about his fellow Leaf Villager.

Sasuke never defended anyone. Was it possible he was actually considering her? She did have the Byakugan. Sasuke was nothing if not strategic. Merging the two bloodlines could yield some powerful results.

Hinata had finished her _Gauntlet_ run only an hour or two before. She was fast and agile. Her chakra control was exceptional. She was even able to lockup and drain another person's chakra. What she lacked was brute strength and a killer instinct. She also hadn't picked up any of the weapons she could have used. So her score was high, but it could have been higher.

"Hinata," Saskue calls out.

That was all he said. Just her name. But the command was clear. _Follow me._ The last Uchiha was confident that she would and begins walking off.

Hinata follows Sasuke. She wasn't sure what she had done wrong. Well maybe she hadn't done anything wrong. Maybe he just wanted to talk.

"You did well. I'm curious as to why you didn't use any weapons," he states.

"Oh I didn't need to," she answers.

"You aren't lying. It wasn't needed. But it would have made it easier. Are you not trained with things besides kunais or is it a natural aversion," he questions.

"A little of both. I haven't really trained with weapons other than kunais. Things like swords are used almost exclusively to kill," she replies honestly.

"I thought as much. You are unusually soft hearted for a ninja," he observes.

"Father said that too," she says and lowers her eyes.

"He's right. But it doesn't need to be a liability. My brother was a Pacifist who was forced to kill our entire clan. One's natural aversions can be overcome, for better or worse," he states and unsheathes his sword.

"What are you doing," she asks warily.

"I'm going to teach you how to use a sword," he replies as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"That's very kind of you to offer, but I don't think I'd be good at it. I'd probably just frustrate you," she stammers.

"It has nothing to do with kindness. The other four Kage are not going to be pleased when they find out what I did. I expect that at some point at least one or all of them will be suicidal enough to challenge me. There will likely be an attack on this village or we'll have to attack them first. That is why it is critical that every ninja here be able hold their own in as many areas possible. In your case, it's using weapons that is your weak spot. Fortunately, that's an area where training can help. Natural ability is always a plus, but even the most hopeless ninja with enough practice, can generally achieve an acceptable level of mastery," he says.

"You know I think that's the most I've ever heard you talk," she muses.

"I'm not Naruto. I don't run my mouth just to hear myself talk. If it's important, I will discuss things," he says and places his sword in her hands.

"Good to know," she says and tries to hand the sword back to him.

"Don't be so afraid of the blade. You challenged Pein and you are telling me that you are skittish of a piece of metal. Granted, it's finely crafted but still. It's a lightweight sword. It should be easy enough for you to practice with," he states.

"It's not the blade that I'm afraid of. It's what you want me to do with it," she answers.

"You wouldn't be using my sword in battle. I'd get you another. This is just practice," he informs her.

"I still don't think it's a good idea," she says.

"Hinata, are you under the delusion this is up for debate," he demands.

Sasuke shakes his head. Honestly, she was a ninja. She wasn't some nun or priestess. Well if he had to give her a push to improve her skills, so be it. He gets behind her and wraps his arms around her, forcing her to hold the sword.

"No," she squeaks.

"Don't think about it as a weapon used to kill. Think of this as an opportunity to become a better ninja. Now try swinging it. I want to look at your balance," he murmurs into her ear.

"Alright," Hinata says as she finds herself doing as instructed.

There was something about Sasuke's voice. There was an almost hypnotic quality to it. It possessed a velvety texture, with a hint of steel underneath. Don't ask how voices could have textures. They just could in Hinata's mind.

If she didn't know better, she would suspect that he might have done some sort of jutsu to make others obey his commands. She wasn't even sure if such a jutsu existed. But if it did, it'd be tailor made for him.

"Your balances is good. But you need to grip it tighter. The way you are holding it would make it easy for an opponent to snatch it from you," he instructs.

"Okay," she responds and grips it tighter.

Speaking of tighter, Sasuke still had a firm hold on her waist. He was standing really close to her. So close she could feel his warm breath on her neck. It made her shiver and gave her goosebumps.

Sasuke was pleased that Hinata had finally stopped fighting him. He noted that Hinata smelled nice. Very nice. It was alluring mix of jasmine, lavender, and spring ring.

' It was hard to resist the impulse just to bury his face into her neck and inhale her scent more deeply. Speaking of hard, he decides in the interest of pride, it would be best to move back an inch or two.

Sasuke was far from a pervert. But he was still a healthy teenager. Having a woman that close was bound to have an effect, especially one with such enticing curves.

"That's better," he says approvingly.

The strip search might not have been the best idea. Now Sasuke had a fairly good idea what Hinata hid under her normally rather conservative clothes. It was something he'd never vocalized, but even he had his….well preferences when it came to the female form. He liked long hair. He really liked some nice curves and wide hips. And he especially liked large, NATURAL breasts.

Sasuke was positive that Tsunade must be using some sort of jutsu or had plastic surgery at some point. Breasts that big were not found in nature. Though he admitted that there could be practical advantages. If she was ever in the middle of the ocean, the busty former Kage could use them as flotation devices.

"Thanks," she says.

"I want you to practice just swinging it and getting use to the feel of it for a half hour. I have to go check on the hospital," he states.

"Alright," she says.

"You'll be sore afterwards. You can rest when you are finished," he warns her and heads off.

Sasuke heads to the hospital. That was after all one of the most critical places to make sure things were running smoothly. If the other Kage attacked the Leaf first or they attacked them, there would be injured ninjas.

He needed to check three things. First, did they have enough medical supplies? Second, did they have enough competent trained medics? Third, was all the equipment functional and was the hospital itself ready to withstand a siege?

"Supplies are good. There are enough medics. Though we could use more. Equipment should be satisfactory. How the Hell did these idiots leave the hospital so vulnerable to attack though," he muses to himself.

He does linger a bit longer than necessary at the maternity ward. Once he established himself as the unquestioned ruler of the Leaf, then he'd go about restoring his clan. If things went well that could be as soon as a year or two.

Meanwhile, Hinata was practicing with the sword. Sasuke was right. It had only been 10 or 15 minutes and already her muscles were protesting. She was strong enough to handle this. She knew that. But she must have been swinging it the wrong way or something. She was already straining.

"Nice sword," she hears someone call out.

Hinata almost falls on her ass. She hadn't expected anyone else to be around. It seemed like Sasuke had chosen a place where they could train privately. Had the white haired man followed them?

"Thanks," she says warily.

"It's Sasuke's. You see I have a thing for swords. I'd recognize that blade anywhere," he says in a sly way.

"He let me borrow it for training," Hinata replies.

"You know I think this is probably the first time the ice prince has let any woman touch his sword, either of them," the purple eyed man with the sharp teeth says in a voice that was full of innuendo.

Hinata feels her face up. It was apparent that the other ninja was trying to embarrass her. She hated how easily she blushed. But it was just part of who she was. She had given up fighting it years ago.

"He also flipped the Hell out when I talked about your breasts. I always thought that he was asexual. Now I see that maybe he just prefers women with a pedigree. You're a Hyuga right? You have freaky eyes like he does," he questions.

"My eyes aren't freaky," she protests.

"Well yours are prettier than his. I could do without that veiny thing you Hyugas have going on when you activate them. But to each their own," he states conversationally.

"Who are you," Hinata asks warily.

"I'm Suigetsu. I've been traveling with Sasuke since before he got it into his head he wanted to be Hokage. It's weird. He's always hated this village. Now he wants to lead it," Suigetsu says with a shrug.

"It is strange," she agrees.

"So are you two fucking yet," he asks as if it was normal to just ask about a stranger's sex life.

"WH-AT," she cries out and blushes scarlet.

"He's letting you play with his sword. He didn't kill that mouthy Leaf Villager because you asked him to. He's giving you private training sessions. If that isn't Sasukese for I'm screwing this girl or about to be, I don't know what is," he replies cheerfully.

"I really don't think he likes me that way," Hinata says and thinks, _Or anyone._

"You're blushing too much. So I guess it's not official yet. Well still early. Guess he wants to sew up this Hokage thing before getting on with the baby making stuff," he continues.

"I think you are insane," Hinata responds.

"I've been called worse. Boy is Karin going to be pissed," he states gleefully.

"Suigetsus, stop harassing the poor girl," she hears another masculine voice say.

"I'm just having some fun, Jugo," Suigetsu replies.

"If Sasuke finds out about your fun, it wont end well for you," the large orange haired man warns him.

"Awe. Such a killjoy. I don't know why you are so far stuck up his ass anyway," he says with a shrug.

"I can ask Karin to come here, if you keep it up," he threatens.

"Noooo! Not the banshee. Anything but the banshee," he pleads.

"Banshee," Hinata finds herself asking.

"His nickname for Karin. She's not an actual banshee," Jugo assures the confused Hyuga.

"Oh," was all Hinata could come up with.

Meanwhile, Sasuke sets up some protective measures at the hospital. Deciding it was sufficient for the time being, he heads to the Academy. The Academy as another critical spot for his plans.

If he could get the kids on his side, that would make things much easier in a few years. Children were generally easier to sway than adults. Plus he knew that the lesson plan in the Leaf would have to be changed drastically. My God did they baby the Academy students.

He decided to customize the education. There would be the general classes such as history, geography, basic weapons training, chakra, and so on. But it was lacking in one key area, specialization.

The Leaf didn't allow any specialization until you reached at least Chunin. For those that wanted to be medics, trackers, interrogators, ANBU, teachers, etc there was nothing there for them to even try it out slightly. That was stupid. He'd change that. The sooner people found their niche, the sooner they'd be useful.

He had crafted a rough outline of what he wanted the Academy to do. Iruka had been difficult. But he was now largely cooperating, mostly because he was hopeful that it would somehow increase Naruto's chances for survival. Sasuke rather unceremoniously thrusts the scrolls with his lesson plans into the Chunin's hands.

"Can you make it work," he asks.

Iruka blinks. He quickly skims the paper. This was surprisingly detailed. He'd always known that Sasuke was bright. But he'd never really seemed to relish in academics.

Oh he'd score exceptionally well on tests, but he didn't seem to enjoy learning for the sake of it. It was more of a chore to him. (Well as far as Iruka could tell anyway. Sasuke was not exactly the most open ninja in the world.)

"It would take some time to implement, but yes. I do believe I can," he answers.

"Good," the dark haired man states.

"I am impressed. While your demeanor would need work, you would have made a fine instructor. The amount of detail you have listed in such a short time is almost unbelievable," Iruka muses.

"It's not about being nice. It's about giving them the skills they need to survive and be useful," Sasuke states.

"I do have some concerns though, particularly about the ANBU training. Some of these are too dangerous for children 12 and under," he continues.

"This coming from the village that made Itachi an ANBU captain at age 13? Laughable. Just do it," he says and walks off.

After a very awkward meeting with Suigetsu and Jugo, Hinata heads back. She had gotten in her thirty minutes. She was so damn sore. She was thankful that her room turned out to be connected to a bathroom.

The Hyuga Heiress turns on the water. She smiles seeing some bubble bath and decides to add it. Once it was an appropriate temperature, she strips, and gets in. The bluenette releases a sigh of pleasure. God that felt good against her sore muscles.

Sasuke returns back to his home. He found himself surprisingly eager to check on Hinata's progress. Why? He didn't know exactly.

Maybe it was because she was just so damn innocent. The woman actually didn't want to wield a sword because it was used primarily to kill. How such a gentle woman had ever become a ninja in the first place he didn't know.

He found himself conflicted. One part of his mind wanted her to see reason. To yank off those rose colored glasses she had been wearing and expose the reality of the world to her. The other part was fascinated by her innocence and felt oddly protective of it. It was…disorienting to say the least.

"Hinata," he calls out.

Hmm no response. Was it possible that she was sleeping? She hadn't been sleeping well. He could see the bags under her eyes as easily as anyone else. He decides to check.

"Hinata," he calls out again.

There was still no response. When he enters her room, he saw she wasn't laying on the bed. Not sleeping them. He found himself growing…worried? No, that couldn't be right. He wasn't worried. He was just curious. Yes, curious.

That's when he saw the bathroom door was open. Oh. Well that explained it. He figured maybe she was just brushing her teeth or something.

That's when his nose picked up the scent of the bubble bath. He'd never used the stuff. It was just there because he hadn't bothered to throw it away.

"A bubble bath," he chuckles.

Hinata heard him that time. He could hear an eeping sound. Honestly, he wasn't even in the bathroom with her. The Hyuga had to be the most modest woman he'd ever met.

"I'll b-e out soon," she squeaks.

"Take your time," Sasuke says, sitting on the bed.

"Sasuke, could you toss me a kimono," he hears an embarrassed voice call out a few minutes later.

Sasuke knew it was wrong. He knew it was even a bit sadistic. But he couldn't resist. He opens his grandmother's wardrobe and selects a kimono.

This wasn't just any kimono. It was a crimson red silk kimono. It had a black sash. But most importantly it had a scandalously low neckline and was so short that it was several inches above the knee. If a woman bent to pick anything up, you would get quite the show.

He remembered his grandmother once telling him that she only wore this for his grandfather. It was his favorite. Sasuke now could appreciate why.

He tosses it through the doorway. He smirks and waits. Her reaction was going to be priceless. He might not be as big a prankster as Naruto, but that isn't to say he didn't have a sense of humor. It was just a more sadistic sense of humor the blonde's.

"Sasuke. Could you throw me another one? This one's too small," she says a few minutes later.

"I think it's exactly the right size," he states.

"Sasuke, it's too short," she replies.

"It's supposed to be. It was designed that way," he responds smoothly.

"Oh," she says.

Hinata gulps. She musters up all her courage and heads out into the room. Privately, she thought that Sasuke was getting some sort of sick kick out of this. She didn't think that it was sexual. He was just enjoying embarrassing her. At least that's what she thought.

"Red suits you," he states.

` "Thank you," Hinata didn't know what to say.

"Sit. The bath probably helped. But I remember when Orochimaru first taught me how to swing a sword. I know how painful it is," he orders.

 _Sasuke did indeed remember that day well. Orochimaru had finally started his training. Sasuke wanted to get stronger as soon as possible. The Sanin had better keep his word. He had promised the Uchiha by the end of his training he would be able to kill Itachi._

 _"The Leaf's instruction in weapons other than kunais and Shuriken is regrettably lacking. With your natural speed and agility, a sword could make an ideal weapon for you," he had told Sasuke._

 _"A sword, huh," Sasuke had pondered._

 _It was true. He'd been taught how to handle Kunais and Shuriken. But the Leaf had never asked Academy students to try more…exotic or traditional weapons. He thought it might be a class thing._

 _Samurai often used swords. Samurais and ninjas had an unofficial rivalry. The other class of fighters viewed jutsus as "cheating." The ninjas viewed the Samurai as pig headed and foolish not to take advantage of their chakra to win battles._

 _"I warn you that the sword takes time to master. But it is well worth it," Orochimaru had told him._

 _He'd trained for hours. Sasuke had felt fine at the time. But when he entered his room, the pain had been intense. FUCK. It felt like every muscle in his shoulders and arms had locked up._

 _These days though, his sword was practically an extra arm. It was an extension of himself. Orochimaru was a creep, but he was a good teacher._

"I'm okay," Hinata lied.

"Hinata, don't ever lie to me again. I won't put up with it," he warns her as he pulls the squirming woman into his lap.

"S-orry," she mutters a hasty apology.

"Just as long as you've learned your lesson," he says and surprises her by placing his hands along her shoulders and kneading them.

Hinata lets out a small gasp. He was actually giving her a massage? And it felt GOOD. She knew it was wrong to think that.

This was a vicious killer who had taken over the village. He had Naruto held hostage somewhere. Yet here he was giving her a massage like they were lovers instead of captor and captive. One could easily get whiplash from trying to understand Sasuke sometimes.

"You are such a kitten," he states.

"A kitten," she asks in confusion.

"Cute, innocent, and enjoys being petted. I'd say that qualifies as a kitten," he answers.

Hinata didn't know how to respond to that. She supposed that there were much worse things to be called. Considering that he had somehow organized a coup against arguably the most powerful ninja village in the Five Nations, it was probably best not to argue with the nickname.


	4. Chapter 4

Opportunity

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. Dark Sasuke is feeling the love. Anyway I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter Notation: Hmm… we have a singing Sasuke!

Chapter Four

Sasuke smirks. Teasing Hinata was fun. It was just so easy to do. He could tell that she was clearly flustered about being in the skimpy kimono and the nickname. It had been awhile since he'd last done something just for the sake of amusement. He decided to have some more fun.

"That feels better," she murmurs when he continues the massage.

There was some primitive part of his brain that was feeling rather smug at the moment. Hinata might be terrified of him. But she still liked his touch. He wasn't sure why that pleased him. But it did.

"So what'd you do with my sword," Sasuke asks.

"Oh, I put it under the nightstand," she answers.

"Can you grab it," he asks.

"Sure," Hinata says leaning over the bed and displaying surprising flexibility was able to retrieve it, without getting off the bed.

Damn. Naruto was an absolute fucking moron. He had a woman throwing himself at him with an ass like that and he didn't notice? Sasuke finds himself rolling his eyes.

Oh silk lingerie today. Nice. Sasuke liked silk…navy blue as well. It flattered her far skin tone. He was half tempted to smack her ass. But he thought better of it. He had a reputation to protect. That reputation did not include being a pervert. It didn't matter how nice her ASSets were. (And they were very nice for the record.)

"Here," Hinata says, sliding back up and somehow, magically not falling off the bed.

Sasuke was a bit impressed. He knew that he was the opposite of a klutz. But he was sure he would have landed flat on his ass, if he had attempted that little maneuver.

"Thanks," he takes it and sheathes his sword.

Hinata watches him carefully. She wasn't sure what he was planning to do next. So far she'd been pretty lucky. The Hyuga heiress was well aware that he could have killed her before she could blink, if he had wanted to. She wasn't entirely certain why he hadn't yet.

"Get some rest. If I wanted you dead, you would be by now," he says, getting up, and heading to the door.

"Alright," she responds just in time to see him head off.

Sasuke smirks. He was in a good mood now. He decided it was time to taunt the loser. So he heads to the underground bunker.

"Well most of the physicals are done and nearly everyone has run the Gauntlet. Training is going smoothly. I expect that Iruka will have the Academy up to speed shortly. I'm thinking that the Stone Village would be the best to attack first. Their Kage already has one foot in the coffin and it'd be so easy to snap his wrinkly neck," Sasuke says.

"YOU BASTARD," Naruto hisses at him.

"I've been called worse. I already have plans to move the elderly and children to a safe place while the attack goes on. I was thinking that you are a loudmouth. But you do have this very annoying habit of somehow always figuring out a way to save the day. Killing you isn't really an option. You are leverage. You are a slow as Hell learner. But I think the best approach would be a reeducation," Sasuke continues.

"What the Hell are you talking about," the blonde snaps at him.

"The Tsukuyomi is a very versatile jutsu. I can even control your perception of time there. So if it takes awhile to drive the message through your thick skull, that's not an issue," he says offhandedly.

"Are you saying you are going to try to brainwash me," Naruto growls.

"There's no try about it. I wouldn't call it brainwashing. More like making you see the truth. I know in your own childish way you care about me. It's not your fault that you can't see what is really going on," Sasuke says rolling his eyes at the blonde's naivety.

Hinata falls asleep, unaware of Naruto's torment. In the morning, she heads to the kitchen. She saw the red headed girl there who was in charge of the Gauntlet. The Hyuga was about 90% certain this was the "banshee" Suigetsu had spoken of.

"Good morning," she greets.

"I don't get it," the red head responds.

"Sorry. You don't get what," Hinata asks in confusion.

"What he sees in you. You are so far from his type. You're a mouse. You won't even pick up a weapon on the battlefield. It must be the Byakugan," the other woman says.

"If you're talking about Sasuke," Hinata starts to respond but gets cut off.

"Of course I'm talking about Sasuke. Who else would I be talking about the Easter Bunny," Karin scoffs.

"Nothing is going on. He wants me to learn how to use a sword for upcoming battles, that's all," Hinata states, not entirely buying it herself.

"He could have gotten ANYONE to teach you how to use a sword. Hell, even Suigetsu could have done THAT much. A personal training session, are you kidding me," she scoffs.

"Are you his girlfriend or something," Hinata asks cautiously.

The last thing she needed was to piss off the girlfriend of the man who had just taken over the village. Hinata takes a step back uncertainly. The woman was definitely jealous.

"She's not," Hinata hears Sasuke's velvety tone answer the question.

"Oh good morning, Sasuke," Karin says cheerfully.

Hinata had never seen anyone change their mood so fast. One second she was accusing Hinata of…something. The next second she was merrily greeting Sasuke good morning, like nothing was wrong. The bluenette almost got whiplash from the sudden change in personality.

"Karin, stop interrogating Hinata and go set up for the Trial by Combat," Sasuke orders her.

"Alright," she says and scurries off.

"Trial by Combat," Hinata asks.

"Yes. I knew there would be some martyrs. They were planning to try to kill me in my sleep. They didn't count on Aoda being there," he states.

"Oh. Wait who is Aoda," Hinata finds herself asking.

"He's one of my snake summons. Anyway, instead of just immediately going with a public execution, I'll give them a chance to fight for their pathetic lives," the last Uchiha continues and heats up some toast.

"How can you speak so casually of killing," Hinata questions horrified that Sasuke was actually buttering his toast as he was contemplating the deaths of what seemed to be several people.

"Hinata, we are ninjas. It's what we do," he tells her.

"This Trial by Combat…they don't actually have a real chance of surviving, do they," she questions.

"I won't use jutsus. But no, I don't expect any of them will last the thirty seconds required for me to spare their life. It would be nice to be proven wrong. We need as many able bodied ninjas as we can get for the upcoming battle," he continues.

"Thirty seconds," she inquires.

"If they can survive thirty seconds against me, I'll let them live. If they can last that long against me, that makes them at least ANBU level. I'm not going to discard strong ninjas, even if their loyalty is questionable," he answers her.

"Oh I see," she responds.

"Let's go," he says, fully expecting her to follow.

Hinata for her part didn't really have much of a choice. She follows and joins the crowd. Sasuke apparently had a flair for the dramatic and had decided to use the same stadium as the one that had been used for the Chunin Exams. She remembered her own match there like it had been yesterday. My how time flies. One day you are trying to become a Chunin and a few years later your village was being taken over by Criminal Ninja.

"These men tried to kill me in my sleep. They now face Trial by Combat. The rules are simple. If they can last 30 seconds in the Arena, I'll spare their life. If not they will die. In the interest of fairness, I won't be using any chakra in the fight and they can all face me at once," he states.

The men were brought out. There were about at dozen in all. They were all Chunin or Jonins. Hinata recognized them. She didn't know any of them well but she had seen them around the village.

They were going to die today. She didn't think that this time Sasuke would spare them. He'd made too big a deal out of this. There would be no mercy this time. Well whatever passed for mercy in Sasuke's world.

Somehow Jugo had rigged the screens to show a countdown clock. It was set on thirty seconds. An alarm goes off.

The men all rush at Sasuke. He shakes his head. They were idiots going for a direct attack. He dodges and most of them end up running into each other. Sasuke takes this opportunity snap the necks of about three of them.

"You are really going to have to do much better than that," he says.

The timer flashed to 20 seconds. The men all look at each other. It looked like they had come up with a different plan. The remaining nine all attack from different angles.

"Better. Still not good enough," Sasuke says grabbing one by his foot and hurling him into his comrades.

He unsheathes his sword and heads to the ninja who were currently trying to scramble to their feet. In this case there were four ninjas desperately trying to get up. He swings his sword and decapitates four of them almost instantly.

The time flashed to 15 seconds. There were still five men fighting for their lives. One makes a desperate charge at Sasuke, he slams his sword into his heart and yanks it out swiftly.

The final four huddled, there was still 10 seconds left. They had to something if they wanted to get out of this alive.

"I suppose I do give you some credit. You did attempt to use teamwork," Sasuke mutters.

But play time was over. He decided to kill them swiftly. There was a statement to be made here. He darts behind them and shoves them onto the ground, all on top of one another. With one thrust he slams his sword straight through all of them. Their death was instant. The timer flashes 2 seconds left and then goes off.

"Does anyone else want to challenge me," Sasuke asks the crowd.

There was silence. The arena was covered in blood. Sasuke's normally pristine white shirt was now splattered with the sticky substance.

He tilts his head to the side. This appeared to be some sort of signal. Because a few seconds later cleaning crew arrives and heads onto the arena. Well they were nice enough to gather the bodies and some water user, uses a wave jutsu to wash away the blood.

"Good. Train hard. We attack the Stone Village in two weeks time," Sasuke says and walks off the stage.

Immediately the bleachers erupted once they heard that news. They were going to attack another ninja village? Two weeks?! Was he out of his mind?

Hinata bites her lower lip. It was hard to reconcile the man who had massaged her last night with the demon who had just killed twelve men and not even batted an eyelash.

He had done it like one might swat a fly. It hadn't impacted him at all. She knew that ninjas sometimes had to kill. But it should at least upset a person. Sasuke was completely without remorse.

"There's no way to talk him out of it, is there," she asks Jugo.

"No. Once he sets his mind on something, there is no going back with him. Don't worry. I saw your score. You'll survive the battle," he tries to reassure her.

"It's not me that I'm worried about," she mutters.

Meanwhile Naruto was trying to recover from Sasuke's epic mindfuck. The bastard had made him relive parts of his childhood. Mostly the parts where the villagers had scorned him or been afraid of him. He'd even been "generous" enough to offer some images of the Uchiha Massacre.

No wonder Sasuke was so fucked up. How did a seven year old even begin to process shit like that? It was one thing to hear about it. It was another entirely to actually SEE it.

Blood. There had been blood everywhere. Sasuke had come home from school late one day and found his parents laying dead in their room. But they weren't the only ones dead. All of them had been dead.

"I know why Itachi did it, but man," he mutters to himself.

Sasuke had forced him to watch these images for hours. Over and over. He didn't relent. It was difficult to try to defend the Leaf. He knew the truth behind the massacre. But Itachi had stopped a Civil War from happening inside the Leaf that likely would have spread to other ninja villages. He had likely saved tens of thousands of lives by taking the lives of his family.

Naruto knew that intellectually. But still he couldn't even begin to imagine what either of the Uchiha brothers had endured. Knowing the truth, probably just made it even worse than Sasuke. He'd always been one or two steps away from a psychic break. But something in the last Uchiha must have snapped recently.

"He was happy, wasn't he," he asks himself.

Sasuke had seemed happy. Well as happy as he ever got. He came back from his Journey of Redemption and had resumed his rightful place in the Leaf Village.

Things had been going back to normal. The blonde just couldn't put his finger on what had triggered his best friend to turn on him. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened…

Sasuke knew that he had been overdramatic there. He could have simply had them executed and let the villagers see their corpses. There was no need for such a show. But he knew that Hinata had needed to see it. That was why he had done it.

She was somehow so unsullied by the cruel reality of life. Hinata needed to be snapped back into the real world. She lived in a fairytale where the good guys always won and there was no need to kill anyone.

Such a simplistic view of the world would only lead to pain. He didn't know why he cared. In a way, maybe it was because she reminded him of what he'd been like before the massacre.

"Then again, it might just have something to do with the way that kimono looked on her," he mutters to himself.

It really had been stunning. The red silk really suited her. It had accented her ample breasts and showed off her lovely legs. Legs that he could imagine wrapped around him as he… **WAIT STOP THAT THOUGHT.**

She was beautiful. But he couldn't allow himself to be distracted. Besides, now she probably saw him as a monster. He had just killed in cold blood with her watching. Not once, but TWELVE times.

It was ironic really. Sure, he'd seen attractive women before. But he'd never really responded. So now naturally, his libido had decided it liked the girl who was LEAST compatible with him.

"Nothing a cold shower can't fix," he says and heads to one of the bathrooms.

It was embarrassing really. He was reduced to using cold water on himself to deal with his arousal. But he figured it was better to that than to walk around with a hardon or take care of it himself. (Uchihas didn't do that. It was beneath their dignity, thank you very much.)

He hops in the shower. Once he was calmer, he found himself singing an old song. It had been passed down through his family for generations. No one was really sure who originally wrote it. (They figured some long forgotten ancestor, but that was just a guess.)

It was a haunting mix between a war song and a love ballet. The story was very simple. Two ninjas fought each other and found love on the battlefield. It was the ninja version of Romeo and Juliet really. (Well at least the Uchiha version. He wasn't sure how widely known the song was.)

Hinata had just gotten "home," when she heard someone singing. Curious, she goes to investigate. It was coming from one of the bathrooms. Looked like someone was singing in the shower.

She knew it was wrong. But she couldn't help but be curious. Whoever was singing was definitely male and had rich singing voice. She activates her Byakugan. She wasn't using it to see whoever it was naked. She just wanted to see the face.

"Sasuke," she says in shock.

Well.. It made sense in a twisted sort of way. Even when he was singing a love song, it was about a battle. Still she never took him for a singer.

That was when the more rational side of her brain kicked in. She should probably get out of here before he caught her spying. Yeah, that was a good idea. She scurries off.

He finishes his shower and dresses. Alright, he was calm now. He should probably check on Hinata. It was more likely than not she was a wreck. She obviously was living with a serial murderer.

He knocks on her door. Sasuke didn't know why he bothered to knock. Most ninjas didn't. He makes a quiet amused snort. Probably just his cousin's influence on him, _"Never barged into a woman's room unannounced. They might be indecent and they will try to kill you if they are,"_ he had warned the young Sasuke one day. (Sasuke had come across him with a big black eye and had asked how he got it. Well enough said about that.)

Hinata opens the door. There was really no point in not opening it. He was going to come in one way or another.

"I imagine you aren't particularly happy with me," Sasuke states as he glides inside the room.

Sasuke didn't walk. He glided. His feet never made a sound when they touched the floor. It was equal parts memorizing and terrifying.

"Why wo-uld you think that," she asks.

"You have a thing against me killing. I killed today. I killed a lot," he says as if it was self explanatory.

"They tried to kill you first. It was self defense. It would have been nice if their deaths had been less. You didn't have to kill them so brutally. We both know that," she trails off.

"It was too gruesome for you," Sasuke offers.

"It was sadistic and cruel," she responds honestly.

"I'm not nice. I'm not Naruto," the dark haired man says.

"You can be. When you want to be anyway," the bluenette finds herself saying.

"Like when," he replies, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"Last night…when you helped with my soreness," she answers.

"That wasn't because I was being _nice._ That was just being practical. If you are in pain, you won't be at your best on the battlefield. So of course I helped you," he rationalizes.

"Why do you care if I'm upset with you," she questions suddenly.

"I don't care," Sasuke immediately counters.

"If you didn't care, you wouldn't have brought it up. You said it yourself. You only talk if it's important," she says throwing his words right back at him.

"Looks like the kitten has claws after all," he says in amusement.

"…," Hinata didn't know how to respond to that.

"You're right. I did say that. It's a whim. I get them sometimes," he tells her.

"If you say so," she says.

"I do say so," he states.

"You aren't going to keep calling me kitten, are you," Hinata asks.

"The nickname stays," Sasuke informs her.

"Could be worse, I guess. You are a cat person, right," she questions.

"I tend to like cats better than dogs, yeah," he says conversationally.

"It's good to hear you talk about normal things," she offers hesitantly.

"Don't get used to it. I'm anything but normal," he warns her.

"I know," she responds.

"Good," he says.

"Mhm," the Hyuga replies.

"Do you still love him," Sasuke shocks himself by asking.

"I still have feelings for Naruto. I always will. But it's different now. I realize it was a crush. It wasn't love. I just admired him," she says with a sigh.

"And those feelings will stay the same even if he doesn't," Sasuke asks curiously.

"What do you mean," she responds in confusion.

"If he was more like me. If he was a realist instead of an optimist," the Uchiha elaborates.

"That's just not who he is. But I'd always be his friend," she answers innocently.

"You'd be amazed at how this world can corrupt anyone," he tells her.

"Like you," she says.

"I wasn't always like this. I was happy once," he says frowning.

It was at that moment Sasuke realized what he was doing. He was heading towards the edge of a cliff metaphorically. Sasuke was telling her things that were entirely too personal. Things like this could be used against him. If he continued this conversation that would be jumping off of it. So it was time to end the conversation.

"You can be happy again," she shocks him by saying.

"I won't call you a liar. I think you actually believe that. This is the real world. Very few people get happy endings," he tells her and heads off.

She blinks. For just a moment there, she could almost see him as a child. Sasuke did a lot of evil things. But he wasn't evil. He was just…lost.


	5. Chapter 5

Opportunity

Author's Note: Thanks for all the feedback guys. Lol the overall impression I got is that everyone wants a jealous/pouncing Sasuke. So I'll try my best to give you that. I confess that I was probably blushing as much as Hinata while writing this chapter. We did have some questions about where Kakashi is and the other Rookies. So yeah, I'll come up with something concerning them. Anyway, here we go. Onward to chapter five.

Chapter Five

Sasuke needed to clear his head after that. He'd almost told Hinata too much. It was like she had some jutsu around her that forced people to tell her everything.

There was just some quality about her that said she wasn't going to judge you for whatever you told her. Sasuke knew this was stupid. Everyone had the potential to be a backstabber. That included the kitten. Kittens could grow up to be vicious alley cats with lethal claws. It didn't matter how cute and harmless they started out.

"Don't trust anyone," he reminds himself.

Now would be an excellent time to taunt Kakashi. Sasuke had the Copycat Ninja locked up. The silver haired Jonin was clever. Clever enough to fuck up his plans. But Sasuke couldn't bring himself to do the smart thing and kill him. This was after all the man who taught him his trademark attack.

It was sad, but in a way he was the closest thing to a father Sasuke had had since Fugaku's death. (That hadn't been enough to keep him from leaving the Leaf to seek greater power, but still. It meant more to him than he felt comfortable admitting.)

Kakashi also had a Sharingan. This in a fucked up way meant that Kakashi was family-ish. He did have the eye of one of his family members. When you were the last of your clan, you stopped being picky when searching for familial bonds. Anything, even if it was purely physical was easy to latch onto. Sasuke realized this was pathetic. But it would be difficult for him to kill someone who was looking at him through an eye that had belonged to a family member.

"Kakashi," he says, when he wanders into the older man's cell.

"Sasuke," he says.

"I was bored. I thought I'd come and listen to one of your speeches. You know the usual. You don't have to do this. This isn't you. It's not too late to turn back now. Naruto will forgive you. The village will forgive you," Sasuke says sitting on a crate.

"I'm afraid I can't give you that. You killed twelve ninjas in cold blood. You kidnapped Naruto. This was AFTER you were reinstated the first time. There is no going back now," the other man tells him.

"Those ninjas tried to kill me first," Sasuke argues.

"We have only your word on that. It's not as if we can ask them now. But let's say you managed to argue self defense. You still kidnapped a Kage and took over the village. That's treason. No one can get you out of this. Not me. Not even Naruto," the mask wearing ninja continues.

"I'm aware of that. I've already weighed the potential consequences of my actions. I decided the potential reward was worth the risk. I made my peace with it long ago. I am impressed by your honesty. You know I could easily kill you now," he states and walks over to his former teacher.

"If you wanted me dead, you would have done it by now. We both know that. What I want to know is why," he asks and looks at him.

"It's a whim. Don't try to read too much into it. I could change my mind at any time," Sasuke replies.

"A whim also saved Naruto's life. I think what you call a whim, is really your conscience. Well what's left of it. It's a pity it didn't stop you from doing this. You are throwing your life away. Not many people get a second chance Sasuke. Even fewer get a third one," Kakashi somberly states.

"Perhaps. It doesn't matter," Sasuke says.

"Your guards are good conversationalists," Kakashi muses a little too cheerfully for Sasuke's liking.

"What'd they say to you," Sasuke growls.

"That you likely stopped one of them from raping Hinata and spared two people's lives after she pleaded with you to do so. That and you gave her quite the lovely necklace. A necklace that if I'm not mistaken belonged to your mother. Quite the precious heirloom to bestow upon someone that I do not believe you even exchanged two words with before the war," he observes.

"They talk far too much," Sasuke hisses.

"Do you love her," he asks.

"What'd you just ask me," the dark haired ninja practically snarls.

"I asked if you loved her," the silver haired ninja repeats himself.

"You've already gone insane and you've barely been in here a couple weeks," the last Uchiha says, rolling his eyes.

"I think it is a perfectly logical conclusion to reach based on your behavior," the Jonin continues, enjoying the fact that he had apparently hit a nerve.

Did he actually believe that Sasuke was in love with the shy woman? No. But it was thrilling to be able to turn the tables on his captor. If Kakashi was going to die, he might as well have a little fun on his way out. Besides, every moment Sasuke spent bickering with him, was a moment that he wasn't attacking another ninja village.

"Fuck you, Kakashi. I saved her from being raped because I abhor the practice. It's more honorable to slit someone's throat than allow THAT to happen," he growls.

"Hmm so you do still have a conscience. You view rape as more morally repulsive wrong than killing. That is interesting," Kakashi muses.

"Whatever. I don't need to listen to this," Sasuke turns to go.

"And how do you explain sparing their lives and the necklace," he asks curiously.

"Whims. She was willing to die to protect her comrade. She deserved the extra protection that necklace affords her. Unlike the rest of this traitorous village, she's never wronged me," he hisses.

"I believe you are experiencing denial," Kakashi chimes merrily.

"I believe you are suicidal," Sasuke growls.

"I see. So you have no interest in Hinata romantically whatsoever," he inquires.

"None," Sasuke states firmly.

"And if I told you that outside the window, I am able to see Jugo holding her in what appears to be a lover's embrace, that would not upset you in the slightest," Kakashi continues.

"What what," Sasuke demands.

"Look outside the window," Kakashi instructs.

Sasuke looks outside the window. Fuck. Kakashi wasn't lying.

Jugo was HUGGING her. It wasn't a _friendship hug._ No they were standing too closely for that. He was holding onto her too desperately. He feels his eyes bleed red. **HOW DARE JUGO BETRAY HIM?!**

Sasuke later would realize how foolish such a thought was. He wasn't involved with Hinata. He hadn't told Jugo that he was even interested in Hinata. So the large orange haired man would be well within his rights to pursue her. But Sasuke didn't give a fuck at the moment.

A few minutes earlier, Hinata had been practicing with a training sword. Jugo had appeared. They were having a normal conversation. Jugo seemed nice enough, especially for a criminal ninja.

It had all been going so normally. That was until some kid started taunting a cat. Jugo was an animal lover it seemed. Hinata was more than a little annoyed at the teen's actions. But Jugo had flipped. Gone was the gentle giant, replaced by a homicidal manic!

"Jugo, please stop," Hinata cries out in horror, hugging him from behind.

Somehow it had worked. He had slowly stiffened. Jugo was completely still for several tense seconds. Slowly but surely, he seemed to snap out of whatever episode he was having.

"Thank you. No one has ever been able to do that other than Kimimaro and Sasuke," he states in astonishment.

"You're welcome," Hinata says and she was about to ask who Kimimaro was when Jugo hugged her.

She was surprised when Jugo embraced her. He hugged her very tightly. He was really grateful for her help.

She wondered if whatever had happened just now was somehow connected to the Sound. Orochimaru had conducted all sorts of horrible medical experiments after all. It was completely plausible he had done something to Jugo. Something horrible.

Honestly, she didn't even want to begin to imagine what terrible things Jugo might have experienced to cause such a rapture in his psyche. A ninja's mind was their only "safe space." They had to present a strong front to the outside world. Sometimes they had to hide their feelings. But their mind was the one place where they could always been themselves. To have someone mess with that, well it bordered on blasphemy.

"Jugo get your hands off of her, NOW," Hinata heard Sasuke's voice thunder.

"Sasuke," he greets him and then realizes he was in trouble. (BIG TROUBLE.)

"Don't make me repeat myself. I said get your hands off of her," Sasuke growls, the Sharingan whirling.

"Sorry," Jugo apologizes and wisely lets go of a very startled Hyuga.

"Sasuke," she says uncertainly.

"This is ridiculous," Sasuke says, grabbing Hinata's hand, and drags her back "home."

Honestly, this was starting to be a pattern. Leave her alone with a guard and he'll try to rape her. Leave her alone with Jugo and he'll embrace her! It was frankly starting to piss him off.

Sasuke didn't why the second one pissed him off. But it did. Oh boy did it fucking piss him off. He was seeing red literally.

Hinata gulps. Something had set Sasuke off. She knew it had something to do with Jugo hugging her. But for the life of her, she couldn't see why that would make him so angry. He looked ready to slaughter someone. It was terrifying to the Hyuga Heiress.

Was he jealous? That couldn't possibly be it. Sasuke liked to play mind games with her. But he didn't actually care about her. Did he?

"I can't leave you alone for five minutes, without someone trying to touch you," Sasuke growls and pushes Hinata back into the bedroom's wall.

"Sorry," she squeaks.

"It's not your fault," he says with a sigh.

"Why are you so angry? Jugo didn't hurt me. Something happened to him. He snapped. One minute he was fine and the next it was like he was a completely different person," she says in a rush.

"He does that. Orochimaru did something to him. He's got two personalities. One wouldn't hurt a fly. The other is even more sadistic than I am," Sasuke explains.

That was better. Jugo was just grateful to Hinata for calming him down. He wasn't trying to seduce her. Sasuke feels himself calming down…well somewhat. He was now angry with himself for causing such a scene and he didn't even understand WHY.

"Oh. That explains it then," Hinata says.

"Yeah. It explains Jugo's behavior," he agrees and thinks, _But not mine._

"Are you feeling…better," she inquires.

"No, I am NOT feeling better," he growls.

"What's wrong," Hinata cautiously asks.

"I don't fucking know. That's what is pissing me off. If you weren't the most innocent person I've ever met in my entire life, I'd think you put me under some sort of jutsu," he growls, keeping her pinned firmly to the wall.

"A jutsu like what," she somehow finds the courage to ask.

"I don't know. Some jutsu to mess with my head," he answers with a scowl.

"I'm not good at those types of jutsus," the Hyuga informs him.

"I imagine not. You don't have a deceitful bone in your entire body," he admits. (This would be much easier if he could convince himself he was only acting this way because of a jutsu.)

 _"Do you love her,"_ Kakashi's words rang in his ears.

Damn Kakashi. Trust the perverted ninja to find a way to fuck with him, even when he was his prisoner. This was _**ALL**_ the Copycat Ninja's fault he decided.

He didn't love Hinata. He wasn't jealous. He was just attracted to her on a _**PURELY**_ physical level and worried about her safety.

Jugo could have killed her in berserker mode. Yeah that was it. That's all that there was to it. And he was going to prove it!

"Sasuke," she calls out.

He seemed to be in some sort of trance. A million emotions were dancing across those ruby red orbs. Anger, there was definitely anger. Disbelief was also there. There was even a trace of fear? But what surprised her most was when all of those emotions shifted to one very identifiable one. Determination.

"I want to test something. Don't fight me on it. I just want one to prove Kakashi wrong," he says vaguely.

"One what," Hinata questions in absolute confusion.

"This," Sasuke says lowering his head and capturing Hinata's lips in a heated kiss.

Her lips were soft…like rose petals. There was something pure about the flavor of her mouth like spring rain and vanilla.

Sasuke had never really kissed anyone before. The two "incidents" with Naruto he didn't count. Neither had been voluntary. Kisses were romantic. Kisses showed you cared. He never had anyone he cared about that wasn't a family member and a member of the opposite sex.

Now he saw that he had clearly been missing out on something exhilarating. It was a rush like when he had first successfully created a fireball. He wanted more of it.

Hinata wasn't sure what Sasuke was talking about. He wanted one of what? The dark haired man seemed determined to prove Kakashi wrong about something. That's when Sasuke kissed her. Sasuke Uchiha was kissing her!

"Mmpf," she cries out in surprise when their lips connected.

She wasn't sure what she expected really. But this wasn't it. His kiss tasted like cinnamon. It was hot and aggressive. His lips were softer than she would have expected. The lips of a cold blooded murderer shouldn't be that deceptively soft.

She'd had a few innocent kisses here and there. Kiba had kissed her once when they'd gotten intoxicated on a mission. Shikamaru had kissed her when the Rookies (minus Sasuke) had gotten together and played Truth or Dare, shortly after Sasuke had left. But those kisses were innocent, awkward, and a fucking pale comparison what this was.

"Damn him, he was right," Sasuke breaks the kiss long enough to growl, before returning to the kiss with an almost punishing passion.

She was stunned enough that she opened her mouth further. Sasuke never one to waste an opportunity, takes advantage of this. He slides his tongue into her mouth. His tongue mapped every corner of her mouth and danced along hers seductively.

That was when Hinata felt him grab her by the ass and pull her against him. They were standing chest to chest. Sasuke let out a dark purr of approval at the increased body contact. Could men purr? Well they could in Sasuke's case.

Hinata knew that it was wrong. This was the man who had just overthrown her village. He had her first crush and friend locked away somewhere. She had seen him kill in cold blood. But her body apparently didn't care about any of that.

"Nhhh," she lets out a small moan.

She felt perfect against him. She was so warm and soft. A respite from the reality of the outside world. Sasuke lost it when he heard her moan into the kiss. She was such an innocent little kitten.

"I lied," he says, breaking the kiss for a moment.

"About what," she asks trying to catch her breath.

"When I said it was only going to be one kiss," he murmurs and pushes her onto the bed.

"Th-at's okay," she mumbles.

"Yeah," he questions her as he straddles her waist and pulls her arms over her head, holding them.

"Yes," answers and feels her face heating up.

It really sucked. She just had to blush now. Hinata wasn't really sure what had gotten into Sasuke. Was this some sort of game to him?

Thoughts of it being a game were quickly dismissed when he lowers his mouth onto hers and grinds against her. She could feel his arousal through his pants. THAT definitely couldn't be faked. He wanted her. Judging by what she could feel from the contact, he wanted her A LOT.

She said YES. Sasuke felt a surge of masculine pride at his "accomplishment." He'd gotten her to want his touch or at least not protest it. Despite everything he'd done to her, she was willing to let him touch her.

Which was really good in this case. Sasuke didn't believe in forcing himself on a woman. He'd never really wanted any woman before.

The last Uchiha idly mused that he probably was a little vain. But if he HAD been interested in a woman before, he was almost positive that his affections would have been returned.

Yeah he had a big ego. But back in his Academy and Genin days, almost every girl his age had been trying to be his girlfriend. So it was their fault. Not his. It was only natural a guy would get a big head after all that.

"Good," he murmurs and looks down at her.

Her chest was rising and falling faster than normal. He placed kiss on her neck and could feel her pulse racing. She was just as excited as he was, he decides.

Sasuke uses one hand, to make sure Hinata couldn't move hers, and the other to slide out of his shirt. He wanted her. All logical thoughts of why this was a BAD idea had flown out the window. He wanted her. She wanted him, at least physically. There was no reason why he shouldn't have her.

That was until the cock block of the century happened. Sasuke had been enjoying himself and was about to enjoy himself a WHOLE LOT MORE when the door flew open. It was Suigetsu. Sasuke growls in frustration. Damn him.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you," Sasuke threatens and glares at his teammate.

"I guess he decided to show you his OTHER sword," Suigetsu snickers.

It was a shock to the system. One minute Sasuke had been straddling her and apparently beginning to strip. Which was quite the sight in itself. Have you ninja train can sculpt the male body to perfection? The next minute, Sasuke was threatening to kill someone. Suigetsu had walked in. And he had seen them…Hinata felt like she was going to die of embarrassment!

"I'd chose your next words very carefully, if you don't want to die in the next five seconds," Sasuke warns.

"Sorry. Hate to ruin your mojo Romeo. But you are going to want to hear this. The Grass Village was supposed to meet with Naruto last week. They sent a messenger to see what the holdup is. Better come up with a good bullshit excuse or we'll have to shoot the messenger, literally," the water user informs him.

"Fuck! That loser. Give me a minute, tell the messenger I'll speak with him shortly. Lie and say that Naruto is sick and I'm acting as Hokage in his stead until he recovers," the Uchiha orders him.

"Got it," Suigetsu says, running off, and Hinata could hear him snickering.

"Sorry kitten. It looks like we'll have to continue this later," Sasuke says sighing.

He throws his shirt back on. Damn Naruto. He should have told him about the Grass Village. Then again, he had kidnapped Naruto. Fair was fair. Naruto did have a right to be angry with him and hide things from him.

Unfortunately, the blonde was being stubborn. He still hadn't accepted the fact that the Leaf was an evil village that presented a friendly face to the rest of the world. He would in time.

Sasuke could already see cracks in the hero's armor. Idly, he wondered what the loser would say if Sasuke told him that he had been this close to deflowering the Hyuga Princess.

Sasuke was positive that Hinata was "pure" in that sense. She still stuttered and blushed so easily. Would Sasuke have still wanted her if she had had a lover (or lovers?) Fuck yes he would have.

He wasn't a hypocrite when it came to that sort of thing. If men could sleep around, so could women. Though, he knew it was stupid there was a certain measure in pride that came with being someone's first. He was possessive. So it would be first and only, in her case.

"Wear the red kimono for when I get back," he says, glancing over his shoulder, at the still blushing woman.

With that little order, Sasuke heads off in the direction that Suigetsu had gone. Oh boy, this was going to be a fucking headache. Still it would be easier if the Grass bought the cover story. He intended to attack the Stone Village soon. He didn't want to tip his hand before that.

"Welcome. My apologies for keeping you waiting. The Hokage has fallen ill. Until he recovers, I will be acting in his stead," Sasuke says formally and gladly sits at the table. (Thank God it would hide the impressive tent in his pants. That would have been fucking humiliating.)

"I was not waiting long. Still, I must confess I find myself rather concerned for the Hokage. How long has he been ill," the Grass ninja inquires.

"A couple of weeks. It looks like a particularly nasty case of food poisoning. My guess he probably age a bad batch of ramen," Sasuke continues.

"It is odd that he would choose you to act in his stead. You have only recently been reinstated as a Leaf ninja," the other ninja muses.

"It's not odd. We were teammates. We fought Madara together. While some might be uncomfortable with my reputation, there is no denying that Naruto and I are the strongest in this village. He wants what's best for this village. That means having the strongest person possible watching it, while he recovers," Sasuke replies.

"I suppose that does make sense. Please send my regards to the Hokage and my wishes for his speedy recovery. Now onto the matter that we were supposed to be discussing. Are last year's trade agreements still acceptable to the Leaf," he inquires.

"They are still acceptable to the Leaf. Are they satisfactory to you," the dark haired ninja asks.

"Yes. I see no issue with them. Well I shall let you get back to running the village. If I leave now, I can still return to mine before nightfall," he informs Sasuke. (Who couldn't give less of a fuck. Speaking of fucking…he wondered if Hinata would wear that red kimono for him again.)

Meanwhile, Hinata was still back in her room. Her heart was racing. Had that actually happened?

Gingerly, she brings her fingertips to her lips. Her lips were swollen from the heat of his kisses. That had actually happened. She'd been kissing Sasuke and he had been about to…

What was wrong with her? Why had she allowed that to happen. Sasuke while far from a saint, did appear to be against people forcing themselves on women. If she had told him no, she was almost certain he would have stopped. So why hadn't she? Why was her heart still racing and not with fear? Had she lost her mind? More importantly, why did she find herself reaching for that damn red kimono?


	6. Chapter 6

Opportunity

Author's Note: Yeah I know I was evil to Sasuke last chapter. Well Suigetsu has bad timing. It's just a fact of life lol.

 **Possible Spoiler Alert:** This is the saddest thing I've ever read. Anyone know if it is true? From, Itachi Shinden: Book of Dark Night. Itachi killed his lover by putting her in Tsukuyomi where she lived an entire life in under a second. In that second, they married, had children, lived to be 80, and died of old age together. She died in Itachi's arms as the massacre started. Name was Izumi Uchiha. Well either way we are going to give this scenario some well deserved justice. .

Chapter Six

 _Sasuke found his thoughts turning back to his childhood. One memory in particular stood out. It was one that involved Itachi._

 _"What's wrong, Sasuke," Itachi asks, cocking his head to the side at the sour expression on Sasuke's face._

 _"They won't leave me alone," the six year old had yelled._

 _"Who is they," the older Uchiha brother inquires._

 _"The girls! They are always chasing me, asking me to play house with them, and trying to make me fat! Chocolates, cakes, cupcakes, candy, and other sweets. I HATE sweets," Sasuke remembered his younger self saying._

 _"They are just trying to be nice," Itachi says with an amused chuckle._

 _"Well they can be nice to someone else," he replies and looks at the sweets with disgust._

 _"Someday you'll be happy that girls like you. Perhaps sooner than you think, foolish little brother," Itachi says poking his forehead._

 _"Awe you don't like girls, Sasuke," he hears Izumi's voice question in bemusement._

 _"Well no. I mean the girls in our family are okay! They don't try to smother me to death," the younger version of him had declared._

 _"You are so cute, Sasuke. Just like your big brother," she says with a smile._

 _Itachi's cheeks turned a light shade of pink. Sasuke had been too realize what that meant at the time. But he decided to press on._

 _"They say they LOVE me. How do you know if you love someone," he asks._

 _"When you find your most precious person you will just know. Sometimes it's the person you least expect. It's different for everyone. But in general, you know because you are happier when they are by you. You worry for their safety," Itachi begins._

 _"Like mother," the younger Uchiha had asked innocently._

 _"NO! Not like mother. Well yes, like mother. But that's a different kind of love. That's, Izumi…maybe you should explain this to him," Itachi pleads._

 _"There are many different kinds of love, Sasuke. There is the love of family. The love of your friends. The love of your comrades. Loving when you do something such as training. And finally there is romantic love. Romantic love is different than all the others. Usually you do not have romantic love for a family member, unless it is a very distant blood tie," Izumi explains._

 _"Why does it have to be a distant tie," Sasuke questions and tilts his head to the side in confusion._

 _"It's generally considered taboo by society to be in love with a close relative. That and you risk having sickly children," she answered simply._

 _"Oh! That makes sense. But how do you tell the difference between romantic love and those other kinds," he inquires._

 _"You are full of questions today," Itachi chuckles and messes up his hair._

 _"Itachi, he's six. Of course he's going to be nothing but a bundle of questions," she says with a smile._

 _"Itachi," Sasuke whines at his hair being messed up._

 _"But to answer your question. Like I said, it's different for everyone. For me, it is their kiss. Your blood feels like it is on fire and you want to be as close to them as possible," he answers._

 _"Your blood feels like it's on fire?! That sounds awful," Sasuke had cried, utterly horrified at the description his beloved elder brother had presented to him. (Why would anyone want that?)_

 _"In a good way, Sasuke," Itachi elaborated._

 _"How can that be in a good way? Wouldn't that burn," he asked._

 _"You'll understand someday," the older Uchiha brother told him._

 _"I don't think so. Girls are really strange," he had stated with a huff._

 _"Itachi, do you want to get some kunai throwing practice in," Izumi asked him._

 _"Can I come and watch," Sasuke asked excitedly. (Mother wouldn't allow him to throw real kunais yet.)_

 _"NO," Itachi snaps instantly._

 _"What Itachi means is I think I heard your mother calling for you," she told Sasuke and takes Itachi's hand in hers._

 _"Oh okay. Maybe later," Sasuke asked hopefully._

 _"Yes, later…foolish little brother," Itachi replied._

 _Sasuke hadn't paid attention to it at the time, but Izumi had always worn purple fingernail polish. Now years later, he wondered if that was Itachi's way of honoring her memory?_

 _He'd only been a kid back then. He hadn't understood the sounds that his keen hearing had picked up from the training grounds. Moans and pants. They must be training really hard, Sasuke had thought._

"Kunai throwing practice, my ass," he mutters to himself slyly.

On the bright side, at least Sasuke finally understood what his elder brother had meant by your blood feels like it's on fire in a good way. Frowning, he bites his lower lip. He had fallen in love with his polar opposite in every way. He was so fucked. Wait. Maybe it wasn't lust. Maybe it was just a powerful physical attraction. That might be okay. Lust could be distracting, but it was controllable. Love…not so much.

Meanwhile, the remaining members of the Rookie Nine were also realizing their own situations were less than ideal. Some of them were still in prison. Others had decided to go along with Sasuke's plans until they could figure something out.

"Do you think Hinata is okay," Ino asks Sakura.

For the moment both of them had decided to go along with Sasuke's crazy ideas. It was better than rotting in a cell. Maybe they could find out where Naruto was and free him, if they were on the outside.

"I don't know. I mean I think so. For whatever reason, Sasuke seems to be…more lenient with her," the pink haired woman muses.

"Do you think it's because she's a Hyuga? Aren't the Uchihas and Hyugas distantly related," the blonde questions.

"I think they are if you go back like ten generations or more. I don't think Sasuke is stretching that far back," the green eyed woman replies.

"Maybe he actually likes her," the other woman suggests.

"I doubt it. Sasuke doesn't like anyone. I don't think he even likes himself," Sakura muses.

Hinata meanwhile paces in her room. She had dawned the red scandalous kimono. Her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest. He had said to wear it for him. A man wouldn't as a woman to dress like this if he didn't have something VERY specific on his mind. It didn't take a genius to figure out what that something was.

It had been one thing when she was caught up in the heat of the moment and enjoy his touches. This was different though. She couldn't blame it on being caught off guard. If he came back and she returned his kisses, it meant something. It meant she was consenting to Gods and Goddesses knows whatever Sasuke had in mind.

"What does he even want from me," she asks herself.

Did he just want a lover? Was it purely about physical pleasure? Maybe he wanted to restore his clan and she wouldn't be the only woman warming his bed. Was it even possible that he wanted an actual relationship?

Did it even matter? She was essentially his prisoner. Granted thus far she was probably his most "favored" prisoner. She had a beautiful room, gorgeous clothes, and he'd never struck her.

Hell he hadn't even said anything cruel to her. But the facts were facts. If he really wanted to, it wasn't like she could actually stop him. She was entirely dependent on whatever shred of goodness he might have left inside for her safety. That wasn't a very comforting thought.

Sasuke returned to Hinata's room. The good news was that she was wearing the red kimono. The not so good news was she looked terrified. Damn. The last Uchiha wasn't sure how to approach this situation. He'd never been good at the whole comforting thing.

"It still suits you," he says.

Hinata jumps. Oh yeah, she was scared of him. Well he couldn't logically blame her.

He'd given her more than enough reasons for any sane person to be frightened out of their mind. Still he didn't like that he spooked her so easily. Only an hour ago, she had been returning his kisses. Now she looked like a lamb that saw a wolf.

"Thank you," she squeaks.

"You're welcome. Hinata," he says and grabs her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"Sasuke," she asks warily.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he tells her.

He probably shouldn't have said that. Sasuke was hurting her. Oh he hadn't physically attacked her. But the last Uchiha had taken over the village and kidnapped Naruto.

That had to hurt her where it really counted, her hurt. _LIAR,_ he heard himself shout in his mind. He tries to shove that thought to the side. Now was not the time.

"Why? You don't mind hurting others," she says and immediately regrets that decision.

Hinata mentally berates herself. _You idiot! Don't make your captor explain himself for not treating you horribly._

When would she learn to keep her mouth shut? Hadn't she JUST been thinking that her situation was entirely dependent on whatever whim he had at the moment. Why was she pushing him?

"You're right. I don't. You're different," he states simply.

She wanted to ask how she was different. But she thought better of it. The bluenette decided to go with it.

"I know you want to ask why. But you're smarter than to actually do it. Honestly, I don't know why," he murmurs.

"Oh," Hinata didn't know what to say to that.

"I know you think that I'm the villain in this story. And maybe I am. But the people of the Leaf are a far cry from heroes. Most of them are oblivious. The ones who aren't either sanction genocide and neglect or at least look the other way. Me? I'm honest about what I am. It isn't pretty. But it is what they made me," Sasuke finds himself saying.

Mentally he winced as he did so. _I sound like I'm justifying my actions. I have nothing to justify._

"I don't think you are the villain. I think you are wrong about the Leaf. But I don't think you are a bad person. You do a lot of bad things. But you aren't a bad person. If you were you could have killed every last one of us by now. Without Naruto, it's not as if any of us have a prayer of actually beating you. But you didn't. And a villain doesn't order the construction of an orphanage," she adds.

"You know about that," he asks.

It was true. Sasuke had ordered the construction of an orphanage to be built in the Forest of Death. There was a lot of space there. Granted it would take a few jutsus to make it safe for children from the animals that lurked inside the forest, but it could be done. It'd just take some time.

"Sasuke, I have the Byakugan. My range is," she trails off.

"Clever kitten. You were going to tell me your range but thought better of it. Hard to escape when you give out information like that," Sasuke mutters.

"I wasn't going to try to escape," she says in a rush.

"I suppose not. You're too much of a martyr to leave your "friends" behind," Sasuke responds.

"You say friends like it is a curse word," Hinata observes.

"For me it is. I knew what I had to do and friendships were only going to get in the way. Besides, the Leaf has such a childish notion of friendship. Oh you are on the same team? You must be best friends! Real friends accept you for who you ARE, not who they WANT you to be," Sasuke finds himself saying.

 _Fuck. I did it again. I ran my mouth too much._ Sasuke was disappointed in himself. He never talked this much. He definitely didn't review philosophical viewpoints on life. He blamed the red kimono. Yeah it was the kimono's fault.

"You sound bitter," Hinata says.

"Maybe I am," he admits.

"You don't need to fight the entire world. There are people who care about you. It's okay to let people in," she tells him.

"Well not the entire world but close enough. I don't fight you," he says and pushes her onto the bed.

"Th-at's a start," she stammers.

"A good start," he agrees.

"Why are you trying to hide the orphanage's construction from the rest of the village," she asks.

"Practical reasons. It's hard to inspire fear and awe if I'm making a home for stray children," he says offhandedly.

"You'd rather be feared than liked," she muses.

"Like is fragile. This village used to like my clan. Well they liked what we could do for them. Sakura used to _like_ me and later tried to stab me to death with a kunai. Like comes and goes. Fear is a much more reliable tool to have in your arsenal," he continues.

"But you like children or you wouldn't be bothering with an orphanage," she counters.

"It's not about liking anyone. It's about being a realist. It's idiotic to have children roaming the streets. Besides, if I give them a home…they'll be loyal to me when they grow up. Whoever shapes the next generation, always wins in the end. It's about a legacy," he "defends" himself.

"All of that is true. But you are doing that thing," she muses.

"What thing," Sasuke asks skeptically.

"There's a slight twitch your eyebrow does when you are feeling defensive and trying to filter yourself," the bluenette informs him.

"Wait what," he asks blinking.

"It's very subtle. But you keep doing it. It's a nervous tick," she elaborates.

"How the Hell do you even notice things like that," Sasuke asks.

"I think it's because I have the Byakugan," she offers.

"No. It's because you are you. You actually care," he states.

"Sasuke, what do you want from me," Hinata dares herself to ask.

"I don't really know. An escape. I want to feel the fire again," he answers.

"The fire? What are you talking about," the Hyuga asks warily. (She wondered if maybe Sasuke had finally truly gone insane.)

"This," he says and kisses her again.

Alright now Hinata knew EXACTLY what Sasuke meant by the fire. Uchihas apparently had their own language. Fire meant desire or lust. How was she able to translate this? Because once again, she could feel Sasuke's lower half pressed against hers. It'd be almost impossible not notice his arousal.

 _Soft. Warm. Pure._ Sasuke thought as he reclaimed her lips. He was starting to become an addict, he mused to himself. It had scarcely been more than an hour or two and he was already giving into the temptation to kiss her again.

 _Hard. Hot. Possessive._ Hinata thought as she returned his kiss. Her mind might not know what it wanted. But her body, well her body definitely did. She'd never been kissed the way he kissed her. It was like he was trying to consume her.

Once again the taste of cinnamon flooded her mouth. Idly she wondered if that was the flavor toothpaste he used or if that was just his natural taste. She didn't care. It was purely Sasuke either way.

Sasuke groans into the kiss when he feels her arch against him. Fuck! The way her body fit so perfectly against him reminded him of two puzzle pieces that connected. If that hadn't been enough to get his manhood to jump in anticipation, then her kiss would have.

It was slow and sensual. A gentle, coaxing caress of her lips and tongue against his. To Sasuke, she might as well be saying, _Take me._ Maybe he was imagining things though. Having a throbbing erection, tended to cloud a man's judgment.

"Mmm," he hears her murmur into the kiss and Hinata runs her fingers through his hair.

He shivers. That felt nice. Nicer than he thought it would have. Probably some long forgotten subconscious primate instinct about grooming. That or his body was just happy to have any physical contact with the beautiful ninja who was currently underneath him.

Sasuke decided he wanted _MORE_ of whatever this was. He uses one arm to grab her ass, pulling her flush against him and the other to start slowly sliding the sash of her kimono off. He was far from the most religious person. But he really hoped the Gods and Goddesses would stop her from protesting the move.

Hinata gasps, when she felt him move them closer. Sasuke definitely wasn't shy about showing her what he wanted. She feels her face heating up when he reached for her sash. He was doing it so slowly and deliberately.

The Hyuga heiresses muses he MUST be doing it to give her a chance to say no. Did she want to stop him though? It'd be the smart thing to do. It'd be the right thing to do. So why was she hesitating?

Sasuke watches her reaction carefully. She was obviously conflicted. But she wasn't saying no. If he was a better man, he'd stop what he was doing and give her time to sort out if this what she wanted.

Was HE was who she wanted. But he wasn't. Still he had to approach this cautiously. The dark haired man didn't want to frighten her anymore than he already had. (He was not a true sadist. He had sadistic tendencies, but not sexual ones. )

 _I deserve a boy scout medal for this. I really do._ Sasuke thought to himself as he rolls off of her and lays next to her.

Hinata looks at him in confusion. He couldn't blame her. It was embarrassing to admit, but the last Uchiha in addition to kissing her senseless had been practically dry humping her. So it didn't make sense for him to just suddenly stop.

"I want it to be your choice," he clarifies.

"Oh," Hinata didn't know what to say to that.

"You can touch, if you want," continues.

Sasuke lays back and admires the view. The sash was off. So he could see her lingerie. Even if he didn't get to touch her, the view was stunning enough that he wouldn't complain. Black lace today. He liked it. But Sasuke was beginning to hold the opinion that if this point Hinata could wear a potato sack and he'd still want to jump her.

"If you don't, I'll assume that you aren't interested and I'll stop whatever this is," he tells her.

What was this exactly? By Itachi's definition it was love. But it made no sense. He BARELY knew her. But Kakashi's words did ring true.

As much as he was loathed to admit it, he had wanted to kill Jugo when he had seen his teammate touching her. He'd wanted to kill him for fucking hugging her. How pathetic was that?

Sasuke had always scorned those who got so jealous of their lover, they'd make such displays. If your lover was really yours, you shouldn't need to worry about them straying. They wouldn't have a reason. It was silly to get upset. But he had been upset. Really upset.

She blinks. He wanted her to touch him. That was different than Sasuke touching her. If he was touching her she could at least indulge in a little denial. (Like she could have stopped Sasuke Uchiha from doing anything. No one would judge her for not putting up a fight.)

If she were to take him up on his offer, she didn't have plausible deniability. It was if some big jungle cat had just decided to lay next to her and asked or a belly rub. It'd almost be funny if it wasn't so damn confusing.

"Alright," Hinata says.

"Alright as in you want me to stop or you want me," he asks.

"I'm not sure," she answers honestly.

Sasuke found himself smiling a few seconds later when he felt Hinata's hands glide underneath his shirt and trail over his chest. Only Hinata. He had been likely seconds away from just screwing her into the mattress and she was too shy to even unbutton his shirt.

She was touching him though. That's what mattered. It was shy. Tentative. But fuck it felt good. An innocent touch like that shouldn't have made his pulse race. But it was. He didn't know if it was actually love or just a bad case of lust. Whatever it was, it was powerful.

Hinata blushes. She could feel his muscles underneath his shirt. She couldn't believe he was actually allowing this.

"What is this," Hinata asks.

"Good. It's good," Sasuke answers.

He closes his eyes. The answer had seen right to him at the time. There hadn't been anything good in his life for a long time. Something that hadn't been taken from him. Something that he could just enjoy. Now there was. He'd figure out a label for their relationship later. Right now, it was just good.


	7. Chapter 7

Opportunity

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. Well everyone loves their lemons/limes. The reaction seems a bit split. Some think they are moving just a smidge too fast and others want their lemons now, dammit lol. I am split on what I want to do with Naruto. What do you guys think? Should Sasuke just send him to another dimension or should we try to go for a dark Naruto as well? And another thing, should Hinata continue to be our innocent princess who tries to "save" Sasuke or should she go dark as well? Please let me know your thoughts.

Chapter Notation: Hinata is getting a dog. Akitas are large dogs that used to guard royalty and nobility in feudal Japan. They track/hunt deer, wild boar, and black bears. They are fearless and loyal. Going to Google and typing in dogtime . Com and akita should bring it right up if you want more information. (Paraphrased)

Chapter Seven

 _"Good. It's good,"_ he had said.

Was it though? She was currently laying next to a cold blooded killer. She honestly didn't know what to make of him. He had managed to deceive everyone into thinking he was reformed, plotted a seemingly successful coup, taken them all prisoner, and sent a dozen men to their deaths in only a few weeks. She should be terrified of him, repulsed, or even hate him. But for some reason, she wasn't. Was she really that weak that a few passionate kisses was all that it took to rob her of all her common sense?

On the other hand, he had saved her from being raped. He showered her with "gifts." She supposed that the necklace, the room, and the dresses counted as gifts. Sasuke didn't seem to expect anything in return for his confusing generosity. Back to the kisses. You didn't kiss someone like that if you didn't care about them right? There had to be something there. Was it just lust or did he really care about her?

At the moment, he seemed perfectly content just to allow her to make some shy, tentative touches to his chest. She didn't even have the guts to take off his shirt.

His eyes were closed. She could almost convince herself that he had dozed off. But she knew that his calm stillness was deceptive. A ninja would never let their guard down like that.

"You seem relaxed," she observes.

"I have no reason not to be. There is no one in this village other than Naruto who could pose a serious threat. I'm also with you. You are the one person in this village that I don't expect to try to ram a kunai through my heart if I close my eyes," he explains.

"Why, do you trust me," she asks.

"Because you are you. There isn't an ounce of malice in your entire body. I have no reason not to trust you. You've been nothing but honest with me. Which is rare for someone who comes from this cursed village," Sasuke mutters his answer to her.

It was true. Sasuke trusted Hinata completely. He knew that was foolish. It might even be signing his own death warrant. But he couldn't bring his heart to listen to his mind. Maybe it was her gentle touch, her caring voice, or even just her soothing scent that lulled him into a contented state. He hadn't felt this at peace in years. He decided not to question it for the time being.

"I'm sorry," she finds herself saying.

"For what," he asks in genuine confusion.

"For not trying harder," Hinata answers.

"What are you talking about," Sasuke questions her and raises an eyebrow.

 _Hinata remembered the day well. She had been at the hospital with her father. It was just for a routine checkup. While her father was checking them in, the young girl had wandered off._

 _She over heard some medics talking. They were talking about at Clan? Did they mean her family?_

 _She knew it was wrong. But she couldn't help it. Hinata listened in anyway. "_

 _"That noble clan." the one nurse says._

 _"That poor boy. He's all alone now," the other had responded._

 _Curious, Hinata peeked into the room. There was a boy there. She recognized him from the Academy. She thought his name was Sasuke but she wasn't sure. She knew his last name though. Uchiha. Her father had made sure she could recognize people from "Noble Clans." Hiashi took her education very seriously when it came to matters like that._

 _"I can't believe that Itachi murdered his entire family. Do we know how Sasuke is still alive," the first medic spoke up._

 _"No. Maybe at the last minute he had an attack of the conscience or something. Maybe he just wanted to make Sasuke suffer more than the others. They were so close. I remember seeing Itachi take Sasuke everywhere," she sighs and couldn't believe what had happened._

 _Hinata rushes back to her father's side! He was an Uchiha. So they were family, sorta. Hiashi had once explained to her how the clans were related. It was too complicated for her to really understand. But still they had an obligation to take him in!_

 _"Father, did you h-ear what happened to the Uch-ihas," she asks nervously._

 _"Yes, I did. Terrible tragedy. I would not dwell on it Hinata. It will not change anything," he responded absentmindedly._

 _"Could we take him in? There is a survivor! He goes to the Academy with me," she asks._

 _"Hinata, he is not like us. Uchihas are a completely different clan. Our way of life would be alien to him. Besides, where would we put him? He's the son of the Uchiha Clan's head. But he isn't a Hyuga. I couldn't rightfully put him in the Main House. If I put him in the Branch House there would be an uproar in the village. No, no. It's best that we just leave him alone. He'll be fine," he tries to reassure his kind hearted, but extremely naïve daughter._

 _Hinata hadn't protested further. She was sure that someone would take Sasuke in. He was from a Noble Clan. He was really smart too! He'd be okay. She was sure of it._

"After the massacre, I asked father if you could move in with my clan. He said no. He didn't know where you would be placed in the Main House and Branch House system," she elaborates.

"You really asked him that," Sasuke questions in a stunned manner.

"Of course. You were all alone. You looked so sad and lost," she murmurs.

"Such an angelic kitten. You still have nothing to apologize for. You were a kid. It's not like you could have made your father take me in. Still it is nice to know that someone thought of me, even if only briefly. I didn't think anyone had," he confesses to her.

It was nice. At least for a moment or two, someone had actually given a fuck. No one else as far as he knew had ever even asked about him or Naruto. No one had noticed or cared, except for Hinata.

She was truly a marvel. The blue haired woman actually cared about everyone. It wasn't an act either. It was real. There was wasn't a deceitful bone in her body, as far as Sasuke could tell when it came to her.

Sasuke felt a bit dirty now. She was so damn pure. He felt like he'd corrupt her just by being near her.

The dark haired man knew it was selfish. It was foolish. He shouldn't expose Hinata to cruel realities of life. Somehow, she had stood untouched by all the horrors of the ninja world.

It was also foolish to pursue her. She'd never go along with his plans. The bluenette saw the best in everyone. Somehow, against all logic, that included him. Gods and Goddesses knows that he would never understand her. She was like an Angel of Mercy or something. (If Sasuke were to believe in that sort of thing. He wasn't entirely sure he did.)

"I have to go check on a few things. You should try to get some rest. The battle will be here before you know it. Be ready," he states and soon leaves Hinata to her thoughts.

Hinata wondered if she had pushed him too far. Maybe her bringing up the Massacre might not have been the smartest idea. He didn't seem angry. Would things have been different, if she had been able to convince her father? Maybe none of this would have happened. If only the Hyuga Patriarch had listened to her. All of this might have been prevented. Maybe Sasuke would still be the same person who had enjoyed getting piggyback rides from his beloved elder brother.

 _"Do not dwell on it, Hinata. It will not change anything,"_ her father's words rang in her head once more.

Meanwhile, in the afterlife Itachi was dancing with Izumi on a cloud, underneath a starry sky. The mortal realm was cruel. Their time together had been so brutally short. But here in the afterlife, they had forever. In Itachi's eyes, forever wouldn't be nearly long enough.

Izumi loved dancing on the clouds. Itachi had no problem indulging her. Itachi had three hobbies in his afterlife. The first was enjoying his lover's…shall we be tactful and say embrace? The second was dancing with said lover. The third and by far the most frustrating, was watching his foolish little brother. It was like his little brother hadn't heard a single word he said or he was determined to do the opposite. It was so frustrating.

"I sacrifice our clan for the good of the village and what does he do? He takes over the village," Itachi sighs and spins Izumi around.

"As someone who had to die for that village before I hit 20, I have to agree with him on this one. The Leaf Village is at best incompetent and at worst outright evil. Still his methods are deplorable," she agrees.

"Yes, they are. I am pleased that the Hyuga girl has caught his eye. Perhaps she'll be a good influence on him," Itachi muses and hopes that some deity would answer his informal prayer.

"Or he could be a very bad influence on her," Izumi counters.

"Always the pessimist, my love," he replies.

"When it comes to that world, yes. Not here though," she offers with a smile.

"Yes, never here," he agrees and kisses her.

Back in the realm of the living, Hinata sighs. She changes out of the scandalous kimono and into her regular clothes. He hadn't said she had to stay in the room. She decided to go stretch her legs and maybe get some training in. If Sasuke was serious about attacking another ninja village, she was going to need to get all the training she could get.

"Hinata," Sakura cries out and races over to her.

"Are you okay," the pink haired woman asks.

"I'm fine. Well as fine as anyone can be given the circumsta-nces," she mumbles.

"Good. The others were really worried that he might hurt you. I mean you kept stepping in when he was about to kill people. Where have you been," she questions.

"It's a long story. I don't really un-derstand it myself. But are you alright," Hinata tries to change the conversation.

"I guess so. Ino and I are currently working at the hospital. Me as a medic, obviously. Ino as an interrogator thanks to her mind jutsus," the green eyed woman explains.

"Oh that makes sense. I'm glad that you two aren't being held in a cell anymore," the Hyuga replies.

"Well not at the moment anyway. Do you have any idea where Naruto is," she asks desperately.

"I don't. I'm sorry," she answers remorsefully.

"It's okay. It's not your fault. We will find a way out of this. Well since Sasuke seems to trust you. I might have an idea. Come with me," she orders and leads Hinata to the hospital.

The other woman leads her to a supply room. She reaches up and pulls down a box. Hinata recognized what it was. The box was labeled poisons. She couldn't possibly be serious, could she?

"He seems to trust you. Maybe if slipped something into his food or drink," she offers.

"…," Hinata was speechless.

Sakura was right. It was a sound plan. She should logically attempt it. It could very well save the village. But for some reason, she found herself hesitating.

"He'd never fall for that. He's a Kage level ninja. He battled against Madara. I doubt he'd fall for something as simple as poison. I think he probably prepares his own food and drinks anyway. He's paranoid like that," Hinata rationalizes.

"I guess you are right. It's not really fair to ask you to do this anyway. I mean you already saved my life. That and for whatever reason, he seems to be actually listening to you. I can't believe you talked him out of killing me and that man. You really are a miracle worker, do you know that? Hinata what is that around your neck," Sakura asks.

"Oh this," Hinata says, having almost forgotten about the necklace due to the poison plotting.

"Yes, that. Oh my God, are those real diamonds and rubies," she questions.

"I think so. Sasuke gave it to me the night that I helped you," the bluenette answers honestly.

"He gave you a necklace that is probably worth more than my house," the pinkette asks and blinks.

"I'm not sure how much it is worth. He seems to think it will protect me. Sasuke probably gave it to keep the guards from harassing me," the Hyuga continues.

"Hinata, I highly doubt he's giving you jewelry THAT valuable just to protect you from the guards. You didn't…did you," she asks.

"Didn't what," Hinata responds.

"Well you know. Has he…well has he, you know," the medic trails off, not certain on how to ask what she wanted to know tactfully.

"If you trying to ask me if we are lovers, we aren't, " Hinata snaps at Sakura. (She was tired of the other woman beating around the bush. They were both fully grown ninjas!)

"I wouldn't blame you if you were. No one could. Actually it'd probably be smart to get on his good side. It's just he's never shown an interest in anyone before. And I'm not sure how safe it would be for you to try to seduce him," she states her concerns bluntly.

"I'm not trying to do anything! He's the one who came onto me," she snaps and immediately regrets it.

"He came onto you," Sakura says in shock.

"Forget that I said that," Hinata replies quickly, too quickly.

"Did he hurt you," the pink haired woman asks.

"What? No," the Hyuga answers quickly.

"You aren't just saying that because you are scared? It's okay to be honest with me. I'm not going to tell anyone. I'm here for you if you ever need to talk about any of this. He was my teammate. I might be able to help. I know him. Well as well as anyone other than Naruto does, anyway," Sakura continues trying to offer Hinata a shoulder to cry on.

Hinata didn't need said shoulder and the fact that Sakura was treating her like a charity was frankly beginning to piss the Hyuga Heiress off. Did Sakura really believe that she was that weak? She was a Jonin! She might not have the pinkette's monstrous strength, but she could handle herself. Hinata didn't need the other woman's pity.

"I don't need your help! He's not doing anything that I don't want him to do," Hinata almost growls at her.

"You said you weren't lovers," the Jonin states.

"We aren't! He's just kissed me is all," Hinata tells her.

"He kissed you," the asks and looks ready to faint.

"Yes. I was surprised too. But he hasn't hurt me," Hinata continues.

"This is all just too weird. We really need to find Naruto and sort this all out," she says.

"I hope he's okay," Hinata agrees.

Later Sasuke goes and sees Kiba. He had wanted to play the part of the martyr. But when he found out that his teammate was currently under Sasuke's "care," he'd changed his tune real quick.

The loyalty was touching in a way. The last Uchiha might have been jealous, if he thought that the mutt had actually touched Hinata like Sasuke had. But he didn't believe it. It seemed to be more of a brotherly/sisterly relationship. That he could tolerate. If Kiba tried to touch her though, the dog lover would be dead before he could blink.

"I want a dog," Sasuke states.

"You want a dog? You've never really struck me as an animal lover," Kiba says skeptically.

"It depends on the animal. But it's not for me," the Uchiha replies.

"Who is it for," the canine lover asks.

"Hinata. A guard dog. It could be a regular dog or a ninja dog. I don't particularly care which, just as long as they are trained in how to protect their owner from attackers," he continues.

"Well a ninja dog would probably be best. But you might get annoyed at it. So I'd recommend a regular dog or a ninja dog that doesn't talk at least," the other man says.

"Regular then. Something large, fast, and…that a woman would find appealing," he continues. (There was no way that Sasuke was going to bring himself to say the word cute.)

"What about an Akita? These things can even hunt bears. I think that would make most people think twice," Kiba offers.

"Sounds good," Sasuke says and follows Kiba to look at the dogs.

Sasuke looks around. He decided he'd pick the first dog brave enough to approach him. One does.

"I'll take him. It is a him, right," Sasuke asks because he didn't particularly feel like checking.

"Yeah, it's a him. So you are buying a dog to protect Hinata. Not that I'm complaining but why do you care what happens to her? You sure as fuck don't give a fuck about what happens to the other native Leaf Villagers," Kiba says bluntly.

"It's none of your business mutt," he snaps.

"Alright. Alright. Anyway, I'm sure Hinata will be happy to have some friendlier company. Better looking too," he says cheerfully and clearly was trying to push Sasuke's buttons.

"Excuse me," Sasuke growls.

"I'm just saying you are about as warm as a glacier and your hair looks like the back of a parrot," he continues.

"Do you have a death wish, dog boy," the last Uchiha growls.

"No. No. Hey, you asked," Kiba says and puts up his hands in an, _I surrender_ position.

"Good. If she doesn't like him, I'll bring him back and get a different one," Sasuke declares, grabs a leash, and heads off with the Akita.

He knocks on her door. When Sasuke didn't get a response, he grows a bit…worried? No, he wasn't worried.

Hinata was a Jonin. She could handle herself. She probably just went out to train or something. He heads into her room and decides to wait for her.

Hinata arrives a few minutes later. She blinks when she sees Sasuke there with a very large dog. What the Hell was going on, she wondered to herself as she enters the room.

"There you are. I got you something. Your teammate says they can take down black bears, so he's probably good for protection. He's not a ninja dog, just a guard dog," he states.

"You got me a dog," she asks.

"Yes. If you don't like him, I can take him back. Of course if you are allergic to dogs, then I would as well. Though I have no idea how you would have survived with Kiba on your team if you were," he muses.

"He's very handsome and…well big," Hinata says.

"Well I wasn't going to give you a Chihuahua for a guard dog," Sasuke explains to her.

"That would have been funny. Hello, boy," she says and cautiously sticks out her hand for the large canine to sniff and get used to her.

Sasuke shakes his head. Five minutes later, the beast was thumping his leg around and enjoying a belly rub. He knew the feeling.

Hinata had that effect on men. Apparently said effect even crossed species barriers. Amazing really. Well he couldn't blame the furball. He would have done the same thing if he had been in the dog's position.

"So you like him," Sasuke says.

"Yes. He'll keep me nice and warm during the winter. I don't think he's getting off the bed," Hinata muses and scratches his ears.

"…," Sasuke didn't know how to respond to that.

HE was the one who should be keeping Hinata warm in winter. Not some dog. Oh well. He was sure if he wanted to he could just send the dog off for awhile. Hinata was happy. That's what mattered.

The last Uchiha was a bit disturbed by that last thought. He couldn't afford to let himself grow soft. He had to cement his rule in the Leaf and teach the other Kages not to mess with him. Maybe after that, then he could keep her warm in the winter. It was still summer after all. There was lots of time.


	8. Chapter 8

Opportunity

Author's Note: Lol I'm glad the dog was so well received. There seems to be almost universal agreement that Hinata shouldn't go dark or only very slightly. Naruto's fate is a bit more mixed. I'd say about half of people are content to just keep him locked up. A few people want him to come around to Sasuke's way of thinking. And there have been suggestions to just send him to another dimension. So we will see. Oh and most people seem content with limes for now until we can get to a deeper connection for those lemons.

Chapter Eight

The Grass Village messenger returns to his village. Naruto Uzumaki was actually insane enough to leave Sasuke Uchiha in charge of the Leaf? That was just playing with fire. Though, he had to admit that Sasuke could present a polished front when he wanted to. Had he never heard of Sasuke before that day, he wouldn't have had any objections to him temporarily taking charge of the Leaf Village.

Unfortunately, he had heard of Sasuke. He was well aware of the other man's reputation. The second coming of Madara is what many said about him.

Naruto was a good man. He wanted to see the best in everyone. But make no mistake about it, he was also gullible. It was an admirable trait, but also a foolish one.

Kitzu wouldn't have trusted the Uchiha as far as he could throw him. Which he admitted was probably zero feet. The Uchiha would have killed him long before he even touched him. Kitzu was realistic enough to acknowledge this. He wasn't delusional.

"It seems that the Hokage has fallen ill. He has appointed a temporary Hokage until he can overcome his illness," Kitzu tells his own Kage.

"Naruto ill? I've never heard of him getting sick before. That's unfortunate. Who is watching over the Leaf while he recovers," his kage asks him in a very curious manner.

"Sasuke Uchiha," Kitzu answers.

"IS HE NUTS," the Grass Kage fell out of his chair and onto his ass stunned at the fact that Naruto would actually leave Sasuke Uchiha in charge of the Leaf. (Even if it was only temporary, that was just asking for it.)

"That was my reaction," Kitzu agrees.

Meanwhile back in the Leaf Village, Sasuke was checking on the progress of well everything. The hospital was set. The orphanage was coming along nicely. Everyone had run the Gauntlet and those who weren't foolish enough to oppose him were training. Those that were that foolish were currently locked away in various prison cells. Things were running about as smoothly as he could have hoped for at this point.

"Alright, we leave tomorrow to attack the Stone Village," he announces.

"But you said two weeks," there were cries of protests.

"The Grass Village sent a messenger. Our hand is forced. If they suspect something is amiss, we may have to face two villages at first instead of one. So it is critical that we strike before the Grass Village could formulate a response if they grow suspicious," Sasuke states.

That quiets down most of them. He could feel Hinata's eyes on him. This was going to be annoying. Well best to deal with it now. He sighs and pulls her off to the side. Sasuke definitely didn't want their conversation to be overheard. The last thing he needed his fighters to believe is that he was soft.

"Please don't do this. A lot of people will die, if we attack them," Hinata says and desperately hopes that maybe she could get through to the last living member of the Uchiha Clan.

"People die in war, Hinata. It's unavoidable. That is just the way it is," he tells her.

He decided to look anywhere but at those eyes. Those desperate, big sad eyes. He had thought himself a hardened criminal, but her eyes could guilt trip anyone. It'd be impressive, if it wasn't so damn inconvenient at the moment. Oh and believe him it was very inconvenient. What a drag as a certain lazy Leaf Ninja would say.

"But this battle doesn't have to be fought. They haven't attacked you or the village," she says.

"They will though. You don't think the other Kage are going to just accept the fact that I'm in charge of the Leaf now without a fight," he asks incuriously as if questioning her sanity.

"No. But it doesn't have to came to this," she replies with a tinge of desperation to her pretty voice.

"Yes, yes it does. I'd say you could stay here if the fighting really bothers you that much. But honestly, I need you out on the field too much to do so. You're healing and chakra abilities are too useful. Not to mention the Byakugan," he tells her.

"You think I'm useful," she repeats.

"Yes. You're a lot stronger than people give you credit for. Between the Byakugan, the healing, the blocking and stealing chakra, and the palm techniques, you are a forced to be reckoned with. The world is lucky that you are too damn nice to actually fight at your full potential. I don't keep people who are useless around," he responds.

Well by Sasuke standards, she supposed that was quite the compliment. He actually thought she was strong. Few people had said that before. Many had called her kind like her mother, but few called her strong like her father.

Maybe Sasuke was right. She didn't want to hurt anyone and it did hold back her progress. But she couldn't imagine hurting someone and not feeling guilty about it. Sasuke didn't seem to have that problem. The dark haired man seemed utterly incapable of remorse or guilt.

"Please," she pleads again.

"Hinata, no," tells her.

"It is going to happen. Now you can fight me about it or you can go. If you want to heal the Stone Villagers that aren't killed, you can do it. It would go a long way for the Leaf's new reputation if we did show some level of mercy," he elaborates.

"Why do we have to attack them," she asks.

"Because if we don't attack them, they will attack us once they find out I have taken over the Leaf. It's a preemptive strike. This isn't a matter up for debate," he informs her.

"What if I wear the red kimono if you call off the attack," she asks him hopefully.

"…Tempting but no, that's not going to work" he answers in a somewhat amused tone.

She really thought she could bribe him out of this. He DID like seeing her in that outfit. But not enough to jeopardize the dawning of a new era. Sasuke did have some self control after all. He wasn't that easily distracted by a beautiful woman's body.

It was a close call though. He remembered her legs and the top of her breasts. Very tempting.

"I had to try," she murmurs.

"I know. You wouldn't be you if you weren't trying to save people," grabs her by her child and gently forces her to look up at him. (There was after all a fairly substantial height difference between the two of them.)

"Sasuke," she asks.

"As…annoying as it can be. I don't want you to lose that. It shows there is still something left in this world worth preserving," he murmurs and lightly kisses her.

Hinata's eyes widen. It was more from his words than his surprisingly gently kiss. This kiss almost said, _Thank you._ But his words were different. Maybe that flicker of light that was still in him, wouldn't be completely extinguished after all.

She wanted to believe that was the case. That deep down Sasuke knew what he was doing was wrong. He'd snap out of. Things would go back to normal.

He'd have to leave the Leaf Village of course. They'd never forgive him for this. But at least he could go somewhere else and be alive. She could only see his current path leaving a trail of bodies in its wake, perhaps even her own. The thought caused a shudder to wrack her body.

The thought of his death shouldn't upset her. But it did. She had given up trying to apply logic to whatever her relationship with Sasuke Uchiha was at the moment. Logic took a holiday when it came to him.

"Don't die," she whispers into the kiss.

He breaks the kiss and looks at Hinata quizzically. _"Don't die,"_ she had said. Why was she worried about his death?

Taking the Stone Village out was going to be easy. She needn't worry. But he was happy that she did though.

She cared about him on some level. She cared about everyone really. But he could delude himself into thinking that he was special to her, if he wanted to do so.

"I won't. I'm a survivor, remember," he gently chides her.

"Good,' she says.

"Yeah, good," he mutters, though he seemed to be referring to their earlier conversation more than their current one.

"Get ready for battle," he orders her.

"I will," she replies sadly.

Dammit. He hated to make her sad. Sasuke hated it even more that he CARED when she was upset. Ties and bonds like that would cause nothing but pain in the end.

So why couldn't he bring himself to stop whatever this was? It would be smarter. They'd both be better off. She was far too pure for him and he was far too bloodthirsty for her. Still his body and his heart, refused to listen to his very reasonable head and forget her.

 _"Do you love her,"_ the words of his former Sensei and current prisoner rang once more in his ears.

"Good. You should probably get some more training in with that sword," Sasuke advises and walks off.

 _Meanwhile up in the afterlife, Itachi watches his brother with amused eyeds. Izumi seemed equally amused. His foolish little brother had finally fallen for a girl it seemed._

 _"I give it a week" Itachi states._

 _"A week until they bed each other," Izumi asks for clarification._

 _"Exactly," the other Uchiha tells her._

 _"Hmm I don't' know. She's pretty shy. Sasuke isn't exactly the most expressive individual. I say two weeks" she replies._

 _"Hmm I guess we shall wee who is right," Itachi says to his love._

 _"Yes, we shall and when I win, I want a prize," she informs him._

 _"What kind of prize," the dark haired man questions._

 _"Hmm I think you in some cuffs might be a very good start," she answers._

 _"Cuffs…interesting," he says._

The next day, the Leaf Ninjas set off for the Stone Village. Well the ones who were going along with Sasuke for whatever their reasons. Some were afraid. Some thought maybe they'd eventually be able to stop him. There were even some who was happy that someone was exposing the Leaf's dirty laundry and taking charge. It was a mixed crowd. But Sasuke was certain they'd force the Stone Village to surrender.

He ordered the attack. Soon enough Stone ninjas and Leaf ninjas were locked in deadly combat. Hmm now where was that old Kage? Sasuke would be nice and grant him a quick death.

"Sasuke Uchiha! I knew that Naruto was wrong to trust you. But I can't believe that so many Leaf Villagers would betray their Kage so easily," he bellowed.

"Oh it wasn't easy. But most of them realized it was pointless to resist me. If your village surrenders, I will call them off. This is merely about showing that I am in command of the Leaf Village. Failure to accept that will result in a massacre," he tells him.

"Not while I still breathe," the old man snaps at him.

"Hmm then the solution seems simple. I'll just have to stop you from breathing," Sasuke taunts him and lunges.

Hinata was currently fighting a Stone Villager. She was strong. The bluenette definitely didn't want to have to resort to deadly force, but it looked like it was going to be necessary.

"If you give up now, I won't kill you. Please don't make me kill you," she whispers.

"You come into my village, attack it, and then have the audacity to try to pretend you are innocent," the other woman rages and lunges at the Hyuga Heiress like an animal.

"I tried to talk him out of it," Hinata says, blocking her punch and considering her options.

"You didn't try hard enough. It's a mistake that will cost you, your life," she promises.

"We'll see about that. BYAKUGAN," Hinata activates her bloodline trait and braces herself for the upcoming battle.

If she couldn't spare the woman's life, she could at least end it. The Hyuga quickly launches an assault on the Stone Villager. She never knew what hit her when all her chakra points were locked up.

The old man was fast for his age. Sasuke had to give him that much. It was so rare for a Kage to actually become an elder. Sasuke almost felt guilty for what he was about to do. Well almost. He was still going to do it anyway. Sasuke had to do it. The old world needed to be burned to the ground before a new one could rise.

"DIE," Sasuke growls and slams his sword straight into the Kage's heart with deadly accuracy.

The old man was killed almost instantly. But the battle was still raging. He summons Aoda.

"Aoda knock out any of the Stone Villagers. It would be preferable to take them alive. If you can't do so, then killing them is acceptable," Sasuke orders his largest Summon.

The large snake seemed more than happy to follow his master's commands. Sasuke knew what he was doing. If he wanted to take these people captive, it must be for a good reason.

That's when he saw her. Hinata was fighting with a Stone Villager. He was about to jump in and lend her assistance. But he didn't need to. It seemed that Hinata had locked the other woman's chakra points up. Impressive. The kitten did have claws after all.

Aoda was slithering around the village. The massive serpent was knocking people out with his tail. Sasuke had said he would prefer that they be alive. So that's what he was going to try to do. Lethal force was not necessary in this instance anyway.

Hinata rushes around the field, healing Leaf ninjas who had been injured. Sasuke smirks to himself. Only Hinata would stop to patch up the injuries of other fighters or pay her last respects.

She really was an Angel of Mercy. He was nothing like that though. He was a demon, killing Stone Villagers who opposed in the manner an average person would swat a fly to death. Their lives meant nothing to him. These were not his people. He owed them nothing. One day he really hoped Hinata would get that through her head.

"Your Kage is dead. Now you can swear your loyalty to me. If you do not wish to do so, then you can join him in the after life. Now make your decision," Sasuke explains the situation to them.

There were started gasps, howls of sadness and yes he was being cursed out big time. That didn't matter to Sasuke though. What matters was winning.

He didn't care if their feelings were hurt. He was going to build a better world for everyone. They'd understand that someday, he was sure.

Sasuke was going to fix things. At first people were naturally going to hate him. He knew most would view his methods as unforgivable. That didn't matter to him though. He knew what needed to be done and he wasn't afraid to do it.

He was surprised to see Hinata take out a Stone Ninja. Hinata was so gentle. But she had taken down the other woman in a swift and dare he say brutal fashion.

Was it wrong that kinda turned him on? Yeah, it was. So he was messed up. You would be too in his situation.

"EVERYONE WE HAVE WON THE BATTLE. Grab whatever Stone Ninjas you can. We will take them hostage and use them for more future insurance when dealing with the other Kages," he orders.

Everyone quickly retreats. All of them had learned it was better just to go with that the possibly insane ninja wanted. If you defied him though, you'd be lucky if you were only put in a cell.

Sasuke heads over to Hinata. She was currently hunched over another Leaf Village. He could see the green chakra coming from her hands. The bluenette was trying to heal him.

"You did well today. I'm impressed," he says.

"I hurt someone. She had every right to attempt me. I attacked her home," she answers.

"Don't feel guilty. They would have attacked us, if they knew about the Leaf's new leader," he reassures her.

The Stone Ninja was desperately trying to activate her chakra. Dammit! What had that bitch done to her? She kept trying though. Little did she know her attempts were only damaging her chakra network.

Eventually it couldn't take the abuse. She screams in agony as her chakra slowly trickles back to life. It was the most horrific thing she had very experienced. The pain was so unbearable and she had a heart attack. She died screaming with Hinata only feet away.

"I killed her," Hinata says in horror.

Fuck. Dammit all to Hell. Hinata had killed someone. She was never going to forgive herself for that. Sasuke had to get her out of the Stone Village and try to talk some sense into her.

So he darts over to the Hyuga Heiress. She lets out a small squeak of surprise that he had picked her up without any warning. The dark haired man whisks her away from the sight of the gory battlefield and back to his Clan's District.

"I know you. You are going to blame yourself for her death. People die in war. I told you that before. You must know it. You have no reason to feel guilty. She would have done the same to you if she had been in your shoes," Sasuke states.

"I know," Hinata says and Sasuke could see that she had started crying at some point. Her cheeks were slightly wet and puffy.

She was such an innocent little kitten. Really Hinata was not well suited for the ninja lifestyle, despite her impressive abilities. Still he should at least try to comfort her. That was an uncomfortable thought to himself.

He really didn't do the whole comforting thing. Sasuke didn't even know where to begin. What could he say to make Hinata feel better about the situation, he asked himself.

"Then don't cry," Sasuke states.

"Taking someone's life doesn't impact you at all, does it," Hinata shocks herself by asking.

"It would depend on whose life we are discussing. But there are very few people that I can honestly say that I would be upset if they died," he answers.

"I can't imagine hardening myself as you have done. To become numb to death, isn't healthy," Hinata concludes.

"It isn't healthy. That's true. But if I didn't have the ability to shut myself off, I would have much harder task before me than I do now," he defends his actions.

"I guess so," she says.

"So how is the dog," Sasuke changes the topic of conversation.

"Oh he's great. He's very lovable. My only real complaints are he sheds all over and steals most of the bed," she answers.

"I thought as much. I will make sure he doesn't do so again," Sasuke promises.

"Sasuke, he's just a dog. He's not going to understand what you are saying," she tells him.

"You'd be amazed at what you can get an animal to do as you wish. It's not surprising really. They don't teach those types of things. You just apply the same tactics to a regular animal as you would a Summon. The results are quite effective. They probably were worried someone would be offended and that's why they don't teach it at the Academy," he muses.

"Can I see it," Hinata asks.

"See what," Sasuke replies.

"The orphanage," she answers.

"I don't see why not. Just don't tell anyone about it. It's not finished yet. I do have some high hopes for it though," he says and offers her his hand.

Hinata takes his head. Soon enough she was following Sasuke straight into the Forest of Death! Was he crazy? Didn't he have any idea what sort of impact this might have on a child?

"The Forest of Death is large enough to build an orphanage on. It also offers some privacy. I think the kids will enjoy that," he muses.

"You try to hide it, but deep down I know the truth," she tells him.

"And what truth do you imagine," Sasuke demands to know.

"That there is some good still inside you. A madman trying to take over the world, purely for power isn't like you. He wouldn't build an orphanage or get me a guard dog," she elaborates.

"Perhaps. But it matters not now. The future has already been set. We shall see what happens. You were amazing on the battlefield by the way. You took out that Stone Ninja like she was nothing," he continues.

"Oh thank you. I don't feel like I did an amazing job today. Today I killed someone in cold blood. Does that make me evil," she asks Sasuke with worried eyes.

"Believe me, Hinata. Evil is the last word anyone is going to associate with you. You aren't evil. You did what was necessary. It was self defense," he assures her.

"Thank you," she mumbles.

"There's no need to thank me for stating the truth," he tells her.

"I guess not," Hinata agrees and smiles a bit.

"Good," Sasuke says.

"Yeah, good," she answers.

Later that night, Sasuke left her room. Hinata was able to sleep. She decided to take full advantage of this opportunity and turns in early.

Hinata didn't get much sleep that night. She felt too ashamed of herself when she awoke later, feeling her heart racing and lower half heated with desire. It had been a dream. It was just a dream she told herself. But it had felt so real. She had dreamt of Sasuke and her, doing things that would cause even the most sensual people to blush.

She was in big trouble. Her attraction to him wasn't going away, no matter how many times her mind reminded her of the truth. _He's a killer._


	9. Chapter 9

Opportunity

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews and support guys. Hmm not much to say for this one other than I'll be trying to give Sasuke and Hinata more of a connection than just physical. Enjoy.

Chapter Notation: Yes, I went all Animal Planet detective and looked up that fact about lions. Sasuke gets a slight strip tease from Hinata.

Chapter Nine

Sasuke felt guilty. He made Hinata kill when she clearly wasn't suited for such a task. She had only meant to disable that woman's chakra. But the woman had kept trying to use her chakra network and ended up killing herself by rupturing it.

It was hard to think of a more brutal death than that. Sasuke couldn't muster any sympathy for the woman. She had tried to kill Hinata after all. The dark haired man was a bit disturbed by how quickly that thought had popped into his head. But he decides to push it off to the side to be examined later.

It hadn't been Hinata's fault. But he knew damn well that she'd blame herself for it. Was that logical? Absolutely not. Was that what Hinata was going to do? Absolutely. Because that is just who Hinata was. Sasuke imagined if she even accidentally stepped on an ant, she'd feel guilty.

"I didn't mean to. But I still killed her. It was an accident, but that won't bring her back," Hinata says.

"Hinata, if you didn't kill her, she would have killed you. Stop beating yourself up over this. It doesn't do anyone any good to do so," Sasuke tells her and calls for the Akita.

"I know. Hey boy, " she mutters and half heartedly pets the giant, lovable dog.

"Boy? You haven't named him yet," Sasuke asks and figures Hinata could use a distraction.

"Oh no. I've been kinda busy. You know with training, the battle, and well everything," she mumbles.

"I'm sure you will come up with something. Please try to be more original than Fluffy though. It would emasculate the dog. Let him have his dignity," Sasuke states somberly.

"Sasuke, I'm pretty sure that the dog has no concept of masculine vs. feminine," Hinata responds and is vaguely amused that the word fluffy actually came out of the Uchiha's mouth.

"Dogs are smarter than people give them credit for. That's actually true of most animals," Sasuke offers.

"Well that's true. Look at Kiba's ninja dogs. Oh and Kakashi's dogs," Hinata agrees.

"Exactly. I'm sure you will come up with something suitable," Sasuke says as he sits behind Hinata on the bed.

"Yeah," the bluenette mutters.

Well the dog had distracted her slightly. Sasuke was well aware of the stages of brooding though. Actually he was something of an expert on the topic. It was kinda his thing.

Hinata was about to go back to brooding. He'd have to take drastic measures. Hinata brooding was just wrong. That was his job, not hers. Hinata should be smiling or blushing, not feeling guilty over something that wasn't even her fault.

Sasuke knew that this was evil. Hinata was so easy to fluster. The woman before him was extremely shy. Which was why he knew that touching the necklace that was currently hanging from her neck and between the valley of her breasts, was sure to draw a reaction out of her.

"I'm glad you are still wearing it." he murmurs in a voice that he knew sounded far more suggestive than the actual words.

Hinata predictably eeps and her face turns redder than one of his beloved tomatoes. He knew why. Sasuke's hands were dangerously close to her breasts. Mission accomplished. She couldn't brood while she was embarrassed over his touch. It was simple logic.

"You said to," she mumbles.

"And you listened. It flatters you. Have any other men tried to grab you since you've worn it," Sasuke asks, his breath hot against her ear. (If they had, that was a dead man walking.)

"No. Just you," she answers and couldn't help but shiver at the feeling of him being so close.

"Good. Let's keep it that way," he purrs seductively into her ear and was pleased to hear that.

Hinata had never thought that men could purr. But Sasuke could. He just had that type of voice. She was positive that his voice should be classified as some type of weapon. It was so hypnotic.

"Keep it that way," she asks.

"I've never really been big on sharing," Sasuke answers vaguely and mentally curses his fuckup.

"Sh-aring," she stammers.

Sasuke continues internally berating himself for that slip. He didn't even know what they were yet. He had basically just admitted his jealousy. That gave the Hyuga entirely too much power over him. Thankfully, she seemed to innocent to get the underlying meaning of that declaration. She didn't get it, he decided.

"Forget it," he murmurs lowly into her ear and turns her around, so that she was facing him.

He traces his thumb over her bottom lip. While Sasuke was concerned about the gravitational pull he felt towards Hinata, he decided to indulge his whim. It wouldn't hurt to do so just once tonight, would it? It was only kissing. That's all. It was harmless.

Why did her lips have to be so damn kissable anyway? Soft, warm, and full. Just one kiss and then he would go and check on Naruto's dumbass. Yes, that was it.

"Okay," she mumbles.

That's when she felt his thumb move over her lip. Sasuke was staring at her intensely with his now ruby red eyes. Most people found the Sharingan terrifying to look at. But there was a feral beauty to it up close.

Maybe she just felt safe enough to admire it aesthetically because she was beginning to recognize that expression. It was desire. (Privately, she admitted that the Sharingan didn't have the veins around the eyes enlarged and thus it was just easier to view it as sexy during moments like this.)

That wasn't the Sasuke of the battlefield. That was bedroom Sasuke. Now she understood where the phrase bedroom eyes came from. Was she committing treason against the Leaf by kissing him? She wasn't sure. But it was by far the sweetest sin she'd ever committed.

Having completely taken leave of her senses, Hinata finds herself kissing back again. She heard a low growl of approval when she touched his tongue with her own. That seemed to be all the consent Sasuke required today to push until she was laying flat on her back on the bed once more.

"Beautiful," he murmurs almost reverently, having broken the kiss long enough to change positions.

She really was. The way her silky hair spilled over the blankets, her creamy skin, ethereal eyes, and womanly curves. He almost mourned the fact the he had zero artistic ability.

Sasuke would have liked to capture the moment in a painting or a camera would have been even better. Oh well. He was sure that he would remember this moment for a very long time. He felt like it was being burned into his memory really.

Hinata felt her face heating up. No one had ever looked at her that way. Normally, she faded into the background.

She was quiet, polite, and unassuming. But she could tell that she was the sole focus on Sasuke's attention. It was a rush. She felt like she should be fire from the heat of his gaze alone. It was fitting in a way that he belonged to a clan associated with that element.

"Sasuke, wait. Should we really be doing this? We barely know each other. I don't even know your birthday," she asks and decides to at least try to be smart about this. (Whatever this was.)

Sasuke had been in an almost trancelike state, admiring the beauty below him. Then she told him to wait. Dammit.

Maybe he had pushed her too far. Her conscience had finally decided to overrule her body. He knew that her body liked him. Her conscience probably not so much. Then he hears her objection and is relieved. That could be fixed. She just wanted them to get to know each other better. He lets out a breath he didn't know that he had been holding.

"July 23rd," he answers.

"A Leo," she muses.

"Yeah," he answers as if to say, _So?_

"You're fire all around. Your affinity, your clan, and even your zodiac sign," she observes and sounds amused.

"Is that a bad thing," Sasuke asks.

"No. It suits you really. You are like a lion in a lot of ways," she says as if this was somehow important.

"Such as," Sasuke asks because he was mildly curious about whatever ideas she had somehow gotten into his head about him based on his freaking birthday.

"Well you're strong. You're very family orientated and proud. But you are also…well," she trails off.

"Go on. You can say it. I'd rather have you be honest with me," Sasuke encourages her.

"Arrogant at times," she says in a rush and shuts her eyes as if she thought she might have seriously angered him.

"Relax. I've been called a lot worse than arrogant. Besides, I view it more as being realistically confident in my abilities. But I can't really argue with that label," he says with a shrug.

"You are trying to take over a whole village and attacked another one. So the arrogant label kinda fits," she mumbles.

"Maybe a little. I'm more monogamous than a lion though. And the 20-40 matings a day is a bit extreme. Two to four quality rounds seems more realistic," Sasuke muses.

"Wait did you just say you'd have sex two to four times a day," Hinata asks in shock.

"If the lioness is willing, yeah. Why not? Where else do you think the cubs would come from," he answers her with a couple questions of his own. (Sasuke very good when it came to turning the tables on his "opponent.")

She blushes deeply. She wasn't sure how he could take an innocent conversation about horoscopes and turn it into something THAT…lustful. Sasuke had a knack for such things, she would later realize. It was just one of his many talents.

"You said December 27th. So that's a Capricorn, right? I never really paid much attention to the whole horoscope thing," he asks and it was rather clear he wasn't certain if he had guessed her Sign, correctly.

"Yes," she answers, glad that he was no longer talking about the preferred number of daily matings.

"Reliable, optimistic, and generous sounds like you. Though I don't think of you as particularly stubborn or suspicious. You wouldn't be here with me, if you were," he observes.

"Thanks, I think," she murmurs.

"You don't actually believe in that stuff though, do you," he asks in an amused fashion.

"Well it seems pretty accurate so far," she says.

"Can't argue with that. Well now we know each other's birthdays," he states as if this was some sort of major breakthrough and now he should be entitled to well…something.

Hinata sees an opportunity here. Maybe she could learn something useful. At the very least, maybe find a way to convince him to let Naruto out. She found herself torn. She wanted to save her friend. But she didn't want Sasuke to be hurt either. The Hyuga Heiress was frantically searching for a way to find a happy ending in all this.

"Maybe we can play a game," Hinata suggests.

"A game? That's a first. I'm listening," Sasuke states and looks at her curiously.

"Every time that you answer something I ask you, I'll take off a piece of clothing," she says.

"I think I like this game. What about if I ask a question and you answer it," he asks.

"I get to ask for a favor," she says.

"That's a little vague. I'm not stupid kitten," Sasuke states.

"Nothing big. Just little things," she replies.

"If one of these little things is releasing Naruto, then you can forget it right now," he growls.

"It isn't. That would be a very big thing," she says.

"And none of these little things is going to negatively impact my ability to lead this village," Sasuke questions.

"No," she says.

"Alright. Deal. You can start," he tells her.

"Alright. Were you closer to your mother or father," Hinata asks and figures that was a relatively safe question. (It might even bring up positive memories.)

"My mother," Sasuke answers without thinking about it.

That was so fast that Hinata almost got whiplash. She wondered what sort of relationship the dark haired man had had with the Uchiha Patriarch. He hadn't hesitated at all. Had he been abusive?

"You're supposed to say why," she tells him.

"You said that I had to answer your questions. Every time I did, you'd lose an article of your clothing. I answered your question. If you want to know why you can use that for your next question," he states smugly and was obviously quite pleased by his own cleverness.

Hinata reaches down and takes off one of her sandals. That sneaky bastard was trying to get her to strip twice as fast by being vague. She probably should have realized he would pull something like that.

"Really? A shoe? You are such a tame kitten," he says and rolls her eyes at her choice.

"If you can be vague, I can be vague," she counters.

"Fair enough. My turn. Why do you let me kiss you? I'd stop if you told me to. I'm a monster but not that kind of monster," he asks.

"You aren't a monster at all. You just do…bad things for good reasons," she replies.

"That's kind of you to say. But you didn't answer the question, kitten," he caresses her cheek.

"I don't know really. I know that I shouldn't. But I like it when you kiss me," she finishes lamely. (It sounded so stupid to her own ears.)

"Good. What's the favor you want," he responds and gives her a small smile.

"The prisoners…make sure they don't freeze. Winter is coming," she responds.

"THAT'S what you wanted," Sasuke asks in disbelief.

"Well one of the things," she mumbles.

"Alright. I wasn't going to anyway. But I'll look into it. You really are an Angel. You could have asked for anything short of releasing Naruto or harming my ability to lead and that's what you went with," Sasuke says and shakes his head, as if trying to process this.

"My turn. Why were you closer to your mother and this time be specific," she orders him.

"My mother was kinder and more attentive than my father. She was the type of woman who would bake cookies for you and put a bandaid on your skinned knee. My father's focus was almost exclusively on Itachi. I know why. He was the eldest after all. And who could compete with him when it came to skill? He was favored. I didn't resent Itachi for it. But I wanted to be acknowledged more by him. The closest he came to that was when I learned the fireball jutsu," Sasuke begins to answer and was shocked when the words just burst out of his mouth like a damn that had broken.

Hinata blinks. That was far more than she expected. From the look on Sasuke's face, it seemed he had revealed more than he originally intended. She decides to reward him.

"That was progress. Taking off a shoe wouldn't be fair," she says and slides her Jonin vest off. Underneath she was wearing a simple white t-shirt and Sasuke was VERY tempted to do a water jutsu to get a better view. (He had heard of wet t-shirt contests and now the idea suddenly seemed a whole lot more appealing than it had been previously.)

"Damn right it deserves more than a fucking shoe being taken off," Sasuke agrees.

"Yes, your turn," she says with a smile.

"Are you afraid of me," Sasuke questions and decides just to be blunt about it.

"Sometimes. It's more that I'm afraid of what you can do and might do to others. At this point, I don't think that you would hurt me. Not physically at least," she murmurs.

"Well that's an honest answer and somewhat better than I deserve. What do you want for it," he asks.

"For you not to hurt Sakura," she answers.

"I already spared her life because you stepped in. If I wanted her dead, she would be. But that's fine by me," he answers and clearly was unaware that Sakura had wanted to poison him.

"Why me? I'm not vain enough to think that you are just overcome with lust for me. You've always been so…aloof when it comes to women. So why me," she asks.

"Because you're good. You're kind and honest. Lust definitely does factor into it. So don't sell yourself short there," he replies.

She hesitates but slides out of her pants. So now she was wearing one sandal, her white shirt, and some lavender lacey undergarments.

"My turn. Were you actually planning on stripping all the way," he asks and admires the view of said lingerie.

"Yes, if you were feeling that…open to sharing," she answers.

"That's surprisingly bold of you. Alright, what's your favor," he questions her.

"Stay with me tonight," she whispers.

"Wait what," Sasuke asks, blinking.

"I want you to stay with me tonight," she repeats herself.

"Why," he asks, tilting his head in confusion.

"When you are with me, I know that you aren't tossing anyone into a jail cell," she answers.

"Ever the noble martyr. You really want to share a room with me, just to make sure I don't lock anyone up," he asks.

"Yes. Well that and other reasons," she replies and looks away to hide her blush.

"I think we can stop the game for now," he says and lays down on the bed.

"Alright," she responds.

"And you don't have to strip further. Honestly, I was mostly curious to see how far you'd be willing to go. I wouldn't have you disrobe purely to get information from me. That's…tacky," he states.

"…Really," she asks

"Really. Good night Hinata," he says, reaching over and turning out the night.

It was the oddest thing. Somehow during the night, she had ended up curled up against him. Sasuke's arms were wrapped tightly around her. For such a cold person, his body was surprisingly warm.

She'd never felt safer than she did in the arms of her killer. Hinata was disturbed that she referred to him as hers, even in her mind. But her sleepy mind was too tired to process it and Sasuke was too comfortable to really worry about anything. She'd figure it out tomorrow.

Sasuke had dozed off with Hinata in his arms. It had been so peaceful. He had slept like a baby. For once, no nightmares tormented him. In retrospect, Sasuke should have known it was too good to last. Peace never did. He was awoken to the sound Karin screaming like a banshee.

"Karin, is there a reason you are trying to make me go deaf," Sasuke growls.

"There's a girl in your bed," she states.

"Actually, technically I'm in her bed. I gave her this room. But yes, there is. Your point," Sasuke says and rubs his temple. (He could feel a migraine coming on. Just fucking peachy.)

"But but," Karin says.

Hinata wakes up to the sound of someone screaming her head off. She looks to see who it was. She recognized this woman, vaguely. She had been on Sasuke's team during his travels.

Hinata feels her face heating up. She quickly burrows under the blankets, to hide her blush. Damn. This looked a lot more…intimate than it actually was. Karin must think she was Sasuke's lover!

"Karin, I'm not interested. If I want to take someone to my bed or any bed, I'll do it. It's none of your business. Now what was so important that you needed to wake me at eight fucking A.M.," he demands to know.

"This letter arrived. It's from the Kazekage. He knows about the attack on the Stone Village and is requesting a meeting immediately," she says, handing him the letter.

"Fuck. Now I have to deal with Gaara," Sasuke sighs.

He was positive he could defeat Gaara. It would prove to be a challenge. But he could do it. Still the red head was beloved. He was also, in Sasuke's mind anyway, smarter than Naruto. He wouldn't fall for any lies Sasuke might tell to explain what happened in the Stone Village.

"I'd rather not have to kill him. He's too potentially useful. Set up the meeting," Sasuke says..


	10. Chapter 10

Opportunity

Author's Note: I'm glad the strip tease/ 20 questions was so well received. I wanted to progress their relationship beyond both of them just having a physical attraction and Sasuke thinking Hinata was too nice. Lol in case anyone was wondering and hasn't lurked my profile, I'm a Pisces. As always, thank you for the reviews.

 **Siren's Call:** New Sasuke x Hinata story is now up. Sasuke + alcohol = hilarious. He will probably be OOC in the first chapter due to being heavily intoxicated. A sensual lime to start us off with. Check it out if you want a "crackfic"/ sensual one. (Oh and everyone please drink responsibly, if you are old enough/choose to do so.)

Chapter Warning: Lime/Spanking Scene. Creative use of chakra. Maybe hints of Dominant/Submissiveness. Some swearing/Naughty language. O.o The chakra thing is going to be a hit or miss. But we'll see what you guys think.

Chapter Ten

"Are you going to kill him," Hinata asks Sasuke.

"I'd rather not. If I have to, I will. But Gaara has always struck me as more realistic than the loser. It might not be necessary," the last Uchiha responds.

"Oh," Hinata says and doesn't know what to say.

"Is this the part where you beg me not to kill him, kitten," Sasuke asks in amusement.

"I don't think I have to at this point. You already knew what I was going to say," she answers.

"Because when it comes to practical matters, you are entirely predictable. I do have to admit you surprised me with the Game last night though," he says and kisses her forehead.

"Sasuke," Hinata starts.

"What is it, Hinata," he asks.

"Um do you really think it's a good idea to go and talk to Gaara with your Sharingan activated. Won't that send the wrong message," the bluenette asks.

"Damn. Didn't even notice," he says and deactivates it.

That was embarrassing. Sasuke was well aware of what an activated Sharingan meant. It was the male Uchiha version of a socially acceptable hardon in public. Well…for the women of his clan it had been their version of "bedroom eyes." An Uchiha with their Sharingan was either experiencing bloodlust, regular lust, or both.

It was only natural he'd respond to a partially naked Hinata. She was stunning. At least she didn't seem to realize what it meant.

That could have been embarrassing. Thank the Gods and Goddesses that Hyuga Clan apparently couldn't be bothered to learn much about Uchiha biology outside of battlefield.

"How do you not notice your Sharingan being on," Hinata asks.

"I'm as used to using it as not, at this point," he offers.

"Doesn't it take a lot of chakra to maintain," the Hyuga asks.

"The chakra required to use it once you've learned how to activate it is minimal. It's become second nature to me and barely takes more energy to activate than taking a step at this point," he informs her.

Fortunately, Hinata seems to accept this accurate description. That was something he liked about the Hyuga. She didn't press. Hinata didn't pry further than you were willing to go.

"Do you wish to go with me to speak with him," Sasuke asks.

"What," Hinata replies stunned at the invitation.

"If he sees me with you, it will relax him. Gaara is aware that you and Naruto are friends. You are also the heiress to one of the most well known Clans in the Leaf Village. If you are seen willingly with me, in public, and unharmed it will go a long way," he explains.

"Alright, I'll go with you," Hinata says and hopes to prevent a blood bath.

"Good," Sasuke says.

Gaara had chosen a neutral location about halfway between the Leaf and Sand for their meeting place. He clearly didn't want to go to the Leaf now that Sasuke controlled it. But the red head was smart enough to know that Sasuke wasn't going to go to the Sand Village.

"Uchiha, explain why the Stone Kage is dead and Naruto is supposedly sick," the Kazekage says and cuts straight to the heart of the matter.

"You don't waste any time. Naruto isn't sick. He's just being detained. I rule the Leaf now. The battle with the Stone Village was merely a show of our strength. We have taken many of them prisoner and the ones that we have are being treated well. They are merely leverage. If you try to attack, remember I have Naruto and those Stone Ninjas will all be killed. You wouldn't want that much blood on your conscience," Sasuke answers honestly.

"Naruto trusted you. I tried to tell him that you were surrounded firmly by darkness. He wouldn't listen to me. Wait… what is she doing here," Gaara asks, just now noticing Hinata.

"Hinata is Leaf Ninja. She is here to show that I haven't mistreated those that weren't foolish enough to defy me," Sasuke states.

"And the reason she's wearing a necklace with the Uchiha symbol," the red head asks.

"He gave it to me. It was to protect me," Hinata answers.

"To protect you," Gaara asks skeptically.

"Some guard tried to force himself on her. The necklace serves as a reminder about who she belongs to," Sasuke answers.

"Belongs to," the red head asks incredulously.

Dammit. He shouldn't have said that. He might be able to get away with having the Sharingan activated around Hinata. But Gaara was more than perceptive enough to realize what that meant.

"Are you two lovers," Gaara asks in disbelief.

"That's none of your concern," Sasuke snaps.

"You said the necklace was a reminder about who she belongs to," Gaara replies and shrugs.

It seemed the Kazekage might have been in shock. But he had decided that who Sasuke may or may not be sleeping with, was probably at the bottom of his list of things to worry about at the moment. His first priority was the safety of Naruto, the Leaf Villagers, and the Stone Ninjas who had been taken captive by Sasuke.

"I've always viewed you as the most practical of the Kages. Are you going to oppose me," Sasuke asks, ignoring the necklace comments.

"I would like nothing more than to kill you for betraying Naruto. But if I do, I'll never find out where he is. Hinata seems…well. I would like to see what you have done to the Leaf before making my decision," the red head states.

"Agreeable. But don't bother looking for Naruto when you come. I promise you that you won't find him," Sasuke informs Gaara.

"So he is alive then," the red head asks.

"Yes. He's my best leverage. I'm not going to throw that away," the last Uchiha responds as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Is he as well as Hinata," the Kazekage demands to know.

"He's uninjured. I have him restrained and hidden away where he won't cause any problems," the dark haired man replies.

"Hinata can you confirm this to be true," the other man beseeches.

"I have only his word. But I believe him. He hasn't harmed me in any way," she offers.

"Very well. I am sure you won't mind if I take my guards with me," Gaara says to Sasuke.

"You may. It's not as if they pose a real threat to me anyway," Sasuke says with a shrug.

"Shall we go then," he asks.

"Yes," Sasuke says and heads off with Hinata, Gaara, and his guards.

Soon enough they arrive in the Leaf. Gaara looks around. Those that were on the streets didn't look injured. He saw a lot of training going on. Training that seemed…oddly organized.

For most ninjas, training was a personal experience. You trained on your own or perhaps with your team. Teams and individual ninjas rarely coordinated unless it was for drills designed to protect a village.

There was some sort of pattern going on here. He couldn't identify it exactly. The ninjas were doing many different kinds of training, but he couldn't shake the feeling that they were following some sort of regiment possibly handed down from Sasuke himself.

"Were you planning a hostile takeover of all Five Great Nations," Gaara asks sarcastically.

"If that's what it takes, yes," Sasuke shocks Gaara by saying.

"Some of those headbands aren't from the Leaf. You've got people from all over the world here," the red head observes.

"I'm far from the only one who isn't content with the status quo," the dark haired man responds.

Hinata leans up and whispers something into Gaara's ear. The Kazekage looks rather skeptical. He looked at Sasuke and then back to Hinata like, _"You can't possibly be serious?"_

"Hinata," Sasuke says warningly.

"An orphanage, really," Gaara asks.

"Hinata what did I say about the orphanage," Sasuke growls.

"I thought it might make him feel better about the situation if he knew what kind of person you really are, when no one is looking," she says in a surprisingly confident fashion.

"A soft spot for kids? I didn't see that one coming," the red head muses.

"It has nothing to do with a soft spot. The Leaf is idiotic. It allows orphans to just roam around the streets and live alone, unsupervised. One of these orphans had the Nine Tails inside him for Godsakes," Sasuke scoffs.

"If it was purely a question of logic, you wouldn't be getting so defensive about it," the Kazekage continues.

"Oh fuck off," Sasuke says rolling his eyes.

Gaara notes the changes at the Academy. It looked like they were in the process of adding more rooms to it. Sasuke had been very busy it seemed. Then he saw the Gauntlet and looks at Sasuke like, _"Do I even want to know?"_

"A way to assess their abilities," Sasuke answers.

"Ah I see," Gaara muses.

"Are you satisfied," the last Uchiha asks.

"I'd like to see the prisoners," the red head states.

"You aren't seeing Naruto," the other ninja informs him.

"I figured as much. It's the lower level prisoners that I am concerned about at the moment," he elaborates.

"Fine," Sasuke says and shows Gaara to the jail.

"I'd say your jail is at nearly maximum capacity. But I suppose their conditions aren't any worse than they'd be elsewhere for political prisoners," he muses and seems to be looking around for torture devices or something. The Kazekage was surprised when the worst he saw were some rather Medieval looking chains and other restraints.

"You should just believe Hinata. The woman doesn't know how to lie," Sasuke states.

"How odd that she keeps you for company, in that case," the Kazekage states sarcastically.

Gaara knew that he might have gone too far with that one. The Uchiha had given her his family crest and taken her on a dangerous political meeting. He was constantly "subtly" looking back at her, as if to check if she was alright. It was…too attentive for him to have simply taken her as a concubine. Was it possible their relationship was based on more than lust?

Gaara was well aware in the old days, harems were common for Kages and other political leaders such as Daimyos. The practice had fallen out of favor as it tended to complicate lines of succession and gave special incentive for siblings or the concubines of the ruler to try to assassinate those who were higher in the "pecking order."

"How odd, I didn't view you as suicidal," Sasuke growls.

"I don't like what you are doing Uchiha. But I suppose considering you mounted a coup, it was a fairly bloodless one. The fact that you have Naruto hidden somewhere is the only reason that I am for the moment willing to look the other way," the red head says.

"That and you really don't want a war between my village and yours," Sasuke states.

"That is also true. Hinata, I wish you the best of luck. I truly do," he states and Gaara walks off.

"Hinata, what did I tell you about the orphanage," Sasuke repeats himself.

"I'm sorry. I was just trying to help," she says.

"That was insubordination," he growls.

"It wasn't meant to be," she squeaks.

"Doesn't matter. I can't let that one slide," he says, grabbing her hand, and leads her to another room inside his house.

"Where are we," she asks.

"This is my room," he states.

It was bigger than the one she had. Sasuke had a king sized bed with black blankets, pillows, and sheets. It looked like they were made out of satin. There was a connected bathroom. Sasuke didn't have a wardrobe, he just had a closet and a dresser. She could see a case where he apparently stored some of his weapons, that seemed to be locked by some sort of chakra seal. She figured only his chakra would open it. It was clean and so…bare otherwise.

"Oh. It's very clean," she says lamely.

"Thanks. Get on the bed. On your hands and knees," he tells her.

"WHAT," Hinata asks, blushing scarlet.

"Hinata, I really don't like repeating myself. I said get on the bed and get on your hands and knees," Sasuke states.

Hinata gulps. It dawned on her that she might actually be in big trouble. But he might actually review telling Gaara about the orphanage as a betrayal. It was possible she had just pushed him too far and was going to pay the price.

Sasuke was torn. He knew that he had to punish her. He couldn't let Hinata get away with thinking she could tell other Kage's about his plans. Even if it was just the orphanage and arguably it had "helped" his cause with Gaara. It was the principle of the thing. He didn't want to seriously hurt her. But he had to make sure she learned her lesson.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you, at least not in a way you won't like," he gets behind her and murmurs darkly into her ear.

Hinata was a modest woman. He'd always known that. It was a Hyuga thing really. But she was so easily flustered that the best way to teach her a lesson wasn't with pain or at least not exclusively. It was with pleasure.

That and if Sasuke was honest with himself, he was growing frustrated. He'd seen her in her lingerie or partially so a couple of times. He wanted to see more and now was the perfect excuse to do so.

"Stay still," he instructs her.

"Ok-ay," she stammers.

 **Warning Lime**

Sasuke could have just taken off her clothes the old fashioned way. But where was the fun in that? He grabs a kunai and uses it to slice off her clothes, slowly and deliberately. The last Uchiha was careful not to cut her, but he made sure that she could feel the cool metal against her flesh as he did so. It was a statement of power.

"Sasuke," she asks uncertainly and tries not to move when he was using the kunai to slice through her clothes.

"Relax," he murmurs.

Hinata didn't know it before today but it was possible to blush on more than just your face. Her neck and even her breasts were turning a light shade of pink. She tries not to squirm in embarrassment, but it was hard. No one had seen her completely naked before that wasn't a medic or a relative.

"It was worth the wait. You're beautiful," Sasuke mutters approvingly and Hinata could feel his heated gaze roaming along her body, even if she was facing away from him.

"Th-ank you," she stammers.

"But you still have to learn your lesson. Be a good kitten and I might let you cum," Sasuke says and Hinata lets out a squeak when he brings his hand down on her backside.

It wasn't a vicious strike meant to harm. But it wasn't gentle either. He smirks when her fine ass turns an enticing shade of pink. He probably could have been content just to admire the view of her lovely rump and those gorgeous breasts all day. But he had something important to do.

"NNHHH," she cries out.

"Sorry kitten. I would have been more gentle, but you were bad," he caresses her ass soothingly, before bringing his hand down again and again.

After each strike, he would caress. He liked the way her breasts would bounce after each smack. Was it wrong that her little squeaks of surprise, pain, and sometimes pleasure were making his cock twitch with arousal?

Yeah. It probably was. It might even be a little deviant. He blamed the Sound's influence on him.

Hinata lets out a sound that was somewhere between a whimper and a moan. Sasuke glances at her ass. It was now a pretty dark shade of pink. If he kept at it, that thin line between pain and pleasure would be crossed.

He didn't want her to actually be afraid of him. He just wanted to make his point. _He was the one in charge here._

"Hinata were you aware of how versatile chakra can be," he whispers hotly into her ear.

"Versatile," she asks in confusion.

He had been spanking her. Now he was asking her what seemed to be an academic question? Naruto was going to lose his title for most unpredictable ninja at this rate.

"Yes. All the different ways it can be used," he clarifies.

"Fighting, healing, tracking, interrogation, accomplishing everyday tasks, and for fun," she answers.

"Exactly. I suppose this next application falls under the last category more broadly," he muses.

"Application," she questions.

"You'll see. A little trick I learned in the Sound Village. It was great to master chakra control," he answers vaguely.

"What are you talking about," Hinata asks and then she sees Sasuke's chakra wrapping itself around her body from the neck down to even her toes.

"You'll like it. Trust me. Like I said, if you are a good kitten, I'll let you cum. But you'll have to be a VERY good kitten for that to happen after what you pulled today," he admonishes her.

She couldn't help but squirm. Sasuke's chakra tended to range from a rich deep purple to a violet color. She didn't know that Chakra could have a feeling to it. But his did.

It was warm and glided over her skin like a lover's hands might. There was a raw power that somehow had been channeled to it. It was like being wrapped in an electric and silk blanket at the same time.

Sasuke wasn't sure why exactly. But there was something incredibly erotic about seeing Hinata naked and wrapped up in his chakra. A surge of possessiveness shot through him.

The chakra glides over her breasts insistently. It almost felt like she was being fondled. She cries out in pleasure when her nipples were toyed with by the apparently lustful chakra. It continues washing over her like a wave, sliding ever further south. Somehow it managed to part her legs.

Hinata blushes as red as a tomato. Sasuke watches her squirm. He debates if perhaps he was going too far. No, she needed to learn her lesson. Besides, he was enjoying the show too much to stop.

He grabs Hinata and turns her around. Then he pushes her onto the bed, so she was laying on her back. He wanted to see her face while he took her using only his chakra.

"Amazing really, you can use it for almost anything," Sasuke observes as the chakra rubs against her womanhood and toys with her clit.

"AHH! OH GOD," Hinata cries out and squirms.

"You are already wet. Maybe you enjoyed your punishment," Sasuke states and was rather pleased to notice this fact.

"Sasuke, please," she whines and writhes, not even sure what she was asking for.

"There's an advantage of using this technique on an innocent such as yourself. There's no pain involved in the penetration," he continues as if he was giving a book report.

"Pene-tration," she squeaks.

"You'll see," he says and then the chakra somehow thrusts inside her as if it was actually solid.

Sasuke smirks and watches. Every moan, every pant, and every movement was pure poetry. If he had thought Hinata was beautiful before, she was a pure goddess when she was overcome by pleasure.

He was tempted just to take her now. But he knew that the psychological impact was more important. He'd take a cold shower later. An ice cold one.

The last Uchiha could tell that she was almost at her peak. He stops moving his chakra for a moment. The desperate whimper that elicited was pure rush to him.

"Now, kitten… what do you have to say for yourself," Sasuke asks.

"I'm s-orry and I won-'t do it again," she asks.

"Good girl. I think you deserve a reward," the dark haired man practically purrs at her and the chakra thrusts right back into her.

She wasn't sure exactly what the chakra was doing to her. But it hit a certain spot that made her see stars behind her side and cum hard. She blushes hotly when she realized she had screamed Sasuke's name while doing so.

Fuck. Witnessing Hinata orgasm and scream his name had to be the hottest thing he'd seen in his young life. He was barely able to refrain from joining her. Fortunately, he did. He had excellent self control.

 _ **End Lime**_

"A screamer, huh? Didn't see that one coming," he muses as he caresses her cheek.

Hinata blushes even redder. Sasuke wasn't exactly sure how that was physically possible. But Hinata was able to defy the laws of nature it seemed. Still he had to drive the point home. _She belonged to him and he was in charge._

"I've stopped asking why. At this point, I've just decided to accept the fact that you're mine. You've accepted it as well. I don't even need to touch you to satisfy you," he says smugly.

Hinata didn't know what to say to that. She could hardly argue with him. She'd been so embarrassingly wanton. She'd allowed him to spank her and ravish her. Well…with his chakra, but still. And she had LIKED it. Her body had responded like he was a musician and she was an entrustment. It was embarrassing.

"I'll take your silence as your acceptance," he continues.

"Acc-eptance of what," she asks.

"That you're mine," Sasuke answers her.


	11. Chapter 11

Opportunity

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. For the most part the chakra/spanking scene seemed to be well liked. There was one reviewer who was conflicted about it. I can understand why. Well when you go as extreme as I did last chapter, not everyone is going to like it. Like I said, I knew that was going to be a hit or miss. I will try to explain what the Hell is going on in Sasuke's demented head and progress the relationship gradually to more "normal" one, if that makes sense. Anyway I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Sorry it's a smidge short.

Chapter 11

Sasuke knew he was in big trouble. He'd taken a lover in the midst of a hostile takeover. She'd be a target now. Alright, so they weren't TECHNICALLY lovers yet. But it was close enough.

He knew that he was more than willing to replace his chakra with something…harder next time. But considering how he'd acted the night before, there might not be a next time. He couldn't blame Hinata if she hated him for acting that way.

He tries to ease his guilt by rationalizing. The last Uchiha had already given her a clan necklace. He was seen with her often. People probably already thought they were lovers, long before last night. If she was going to be a target over his relationship with her, there might as well be a relationship. Right?

"I acted like an animal," he mutters to himself and brushes the hair out of her eyes, as she continued to sleep.

He could blame the fact that he had largely been surrounded by psychopaths and deviants for the past few years. But that wouldn't be entirely accurate.

Sasuke was honest enough with himself to know that he had just lost it. Hinata was too innocent for games like THAT, even if her body clearly liked it. What he'd done last night was twisted. Maybe not the actual spanking and chakra teasing itself, but how utterly domineering he'd been.

Hinata wasn't actually asleep. She was pretending to be. Fortunately, Sasuke didn't seem to realize this. The bluenette could get away with taking a few minutes to collect her thoughts. Thoughts that were currently swirling around wildly in her head like hurricane.

God he was confusing. Last night he had treated her like…well she wasn't sure what exactly! But it had been all about lust. It had been deviant to put it mildly.

Now he was brushing the hair out of her face so tenderly as if he loved her or at least cared about her. She even heard him mutter, _"I acted like an animal."_ Did that mean he felt guilty? Was Sasuke even CAPABLE of feeling guilty at this point?

"Which one is the real one," she asks and finally opens her lavender eyes to look at him.

"What," Sasuke asks in confusion.

"I'm starting to think you are bipolar or putting on a Hell of a good act," Hinata says.

"Excuse me," the dark haired man says incredulously, not quite believing that she had actually said that.

"Since you've taken over the Leaf, I've seen two completely different Sasukes," she continues.

"What are you talking about," the last Uchiha asks in a tone that said he wasn't at all sure where she was going with this.

"There's the man attacks an entire village without any provocation, kills without hesitation, is capable of deceiving his best friend, and is some kind of sex fiend. THEN there's the man who saved me from being raped, who secretly builds an orphanage, holds me so tenderly, and even gets me a dog," she snarls out her explanation.

Sasuke blinks. He didn't know that Hinata could snarl. The last Uchiha couldn't argue with the fact that he had been sending conflicting signals to say the least.

She had every right to be seething with rage. He'd just never seen her seethe before. Sasuke almost gulped when he could feel her fury radiating off of her. Thankfully for his pride, he didn't actually gulp. It was a close call though, too close really. He had a reputation to protect.

"SAY SOMETHING," Hinata yells.

"…There both real. I apologize for last night. I shouldn't have treated you like that," he says awkwardly and thinks, _Even if it was sexy as Hell._

"You're apologizing," Hinata asks, her fury temporarily eclipsed by shock because Sasuke Uchiha had _apologized to her!_

"Yes," Sasuke says simply.

"And you really mean it," she questions him in a skeptical manner and seems to be debating if this was some sort of trick.

"Yes, I really mean it. I mean don't get me wrong," he says, pushing her onto her back.

"I DID enjoy it. But I shouldn't treat you like you are some," he trails off, not sure how to say the next part.

"Toy," she says.

"Yeah, let's go with that," he says and figures it was probably the most polite way to put it.

"You're right. You SHOULDN'T treat me like a toy. But you just did it again. Last night you did and today you are apologizing. Two Sasukes. Only one is real. So which one is it," she asks.

"Honestly, I don't know," he murmurs and lightly brushes his lips against hers.

She wraps her arms around his neck and runs her fingers into his hair, as she kisses back. Just one. Just one kiss.

It was twisted. She knew she shouldn't be kissing after what happened the night before. But there was no denying that Sasuke was a very good kisser. Exceptional really.

If there were ninja ranks for such a thing, he'd be an S class kisser. She needed to get it out of her system before she tried to regain what was left of her dignity. At this point, Hinata wasn't even sure such a thing was possible considering everything that had happened.

Sasuke groans into the kiss. She was kissing him. That had to mean she forgave him, right? That's what he thought anyway. Then he feels her pull away. He looks at her in confusion. Why had she stopped him? They were just getting to the good part.

"No more kisses or ANYTHING else until you figure it out," she states firmly.

"What," Sasuke asks and it was almost comical to see the horrified expression on his face.

"I'm not going to be your toy or the lover of a remorseless killer," she tells him.

"That's…fair," Sasuke mutters.

"Good," Hinata says throwing is words back at him.

"Such a cruel kitten," he sighs.

"Says the man who overthrew an entire village," she replies.

"Point taken," he says with a sigh and streteches.

She couldn't help but watch. No matter which Sasuke was real, there was an undeniable sensual lethal grace to everything he did. The man couldn't even stretch without it being swoon worthy. And unfortunately, he appeared to know this. He was such a smug bastard! She finally understood Naruto's nickname for the last Uchiha.

"Like what you see kitten," he asks smugly.

"That's not the point," she huffs.

"You sure you want to enforce that waiting rule? I promise I won't do anything without your permission again? I can be fair. If you want some payback you can even tie me up," he offers.

"…," Hinata was speechless.

"Alright so you aren't a fan of light bondage. Got it," Sasuke says offhandedly as if noting that she didn't like a particular kind of soup or something.

"I just can't believe you'd actually let me tie you up," she finds herself saying.

"Only you. There's no one else I'd trust enough to allow it with. I know you won't ram a kunai into my heart the second my hands are bound," he states in a deceptively casual manner.

"…That's romantic, yet disturbing at the same time," Hinata finds herself saying.

"It was meant to be romantic. I have trust issues," Sasuke says with a shrug.

"Well they say admitting is the first step," the Hyuga states because she didn't know how else to respond to that one.

"What's the second," the Uchiha had always wondered about this. (Why did no one ever say what the damn second step was?!)

"I'm not sure," the bluenette replies.

"Well I'll see you later, I have to go check on things. You should get some training in," Sasuke says and heads off.

She sighs and dresses. Reluctant as she was to admit it, Sasuke had a point. If she was going to stay in a village overrun by enemy ninjas, training was a practical use of her time. She heads off to do so.

He heads off to check on the Academy first. Sasuke was pleased to see that Iruka was following his instructions. Well to the best of his abilities. He was going to need a construction crew if he wanted to get the new wings added on in a reasonable amount of time.

Sasuke observes the youngest of the Academy students. It was recess now. This was the next generation. If he was going to prevent the next kid from suffering the same fate as Itachi or himself, he'd have to be successful in leaving his mark long term on them.

Adults were easy. He knew what their reactions would be. Kids were harder. You never really knew what was going on in their heads.

Look at Itachi, he was already an ANBU captain at an age when most teens were just starting to get their first crushes. It varied so widely. Age wasn't a reliable indicator of what was going on in someone's head. Sasuke had learned this long ago.

"You like kids," Iruka observes.

"And where did you get that impression," Sasuke asks in a "bored" tone. (He didn't want Iruka to get the impression Sasuke actually cared about his opinion on well anything.)

"One of the first things you did after taking over this village was change the Academy. That's generally not the response of the brutal dictator you like to portray yourself as," Iruka observes.

"Such comments are generally not made by the sensible man, you like to portray yourself as," the dark haired younger man says.

"Clever. You always were though. I felt so badly for you and Naruto back then," he says.

"You never reached out to me. Naruto claims you reached out to him. But you can't have tried that hard, he lived alone," Sasuke responds with just a hint of bitterness to his voice.

"You didn't seem like you wanted anyone to reach out to you. Someone should have before it got to this point. Well Naruto did and look what happened to him," the teacher replies.

"He's alive. I just have him locked up somewhere that he won't be able to cause trouble. He really has this annoying habit of trying to save the day," the Uchiha continues.

"So it's true. You really did spare his life," the ninja with the scar on his face questions.

"He's the best leverage that I have," Sasuke defends his decision for the millionth time.

"That may be true, but I think there is another reason. Maybe there is a part of you that still realizes he is your best friend. You just couldn't bring yourself to kill him," Iruka states.

"Don't pretend that you know me because you happened to teach me how to throw a kunai," Sasuke scowls and slams Iruka into one of the trees in the schoolyard, his hand wrapped around his neck.

"STOP," Sasuke hears a small, though rather determined voice cry out.

He looks around. It was a girl. She couldn't have been more than 5 or 6. She had very long hair, coming all the way to her knees. It was the same color as Hinata's. She clearly wasn't a Hyuga though. She had sapphire blue eyes. He'd never seen a Hyuga that didn't have lavender ones.

"Do you know who I am," Sasuke asks in amusement.

"Yes, you're the man who took over the village," she answers honestly and without hesitation.

"And you are still telling me to stop. That's brave of you," the dark haired man states.

"I won't let you hurt Iruka Sensei," she tells him, her voice wavering only slightly.

"You're right Iruka. I do like kids. Well I like this one anyway," Sasuke says with a smirk.

"You're brave. Possibly suicidal, but bravery isn't a common trait in this village. What's your name," Sasuke says and gets down to eye level with the child. (Which meant he sank to one knee.)

"Asa," she answers.

"Born in the morning? Fitting considering this is a dawn of a new era," he muses.

"You're not going to kill me," she asks.

"No. Your parents must have done something right. You're not like most of the others," he continues.

"My parents are gone. War took them," she mumbles in a very quiet, sad sort of way.

"My parents are also gone. The village took them," he responds in kind to the child before him.

"Is that why you did it," she asks and it felt a lot more profound a question than a child her age should have been able to come up with.

"Partially. Do you have any other family members," he questions.

"No," she answers a bit warily.

"You can stay with me then," Sasuke says.

He wasn't sure why he did it. Maybe it was because her hair reminded him of Hinata. Maybe it was because she was an orphan like him. Maybe it was because she seemed to possess some small inkling of understand why he had taken over the village. But whatever the reason, he decided she'd prove useful later on.

Hinata returns from training later that day and was surprised to see Sasuke with a kid. A very young kid.

"Sasuke," she asks uncertainly.

"I found her at the Academy," he states as if that explained everything.

"Well yeah, you can usually find a lot of kids at the Academy. But why is she here," the Hyuga asks warily.

"Because she's brave," the dark haired man replies.

"Uh huh," Hinata says.

"She actually challenged me to protect Iruka. A little lioness. It was impressive really," he says.

"You attacked Iruka," his almost lover asks horrified.

"Not exactly. He was running his mouth and being annoying. I lost my temper a bit. He's fine though," Sasuke replies with a shrug.

"Sasuke what did I say earlier," Hinata asks.

"I didn't kill him. I think that should count for something," Sasuke tells her.

"Oh so that's your bar? If you don't kill anyone, you deserve a reward," Hinata scoffs.

"Well you have to start somewhere," he says.

"You're impossible," Hinata tells him.

"Come Asa, I'll show you to your room," he orders the girl and leads her off.

Hinata watches him take the child to a room. Sasuke had taken in a kid? That had to be a good sign right? Maybe the tender Sasuke was the real one? She sighs and tells herself not to get her hopes up.

He soon comes back. Sasuke leans over and places something in Hinata's hair. He seems quite pleased with himself.

"A rose," she murmurs as she pulls the object out of her hair to see what it was.

"You liked it when I was _romantic_ earlier. Women like flowers, don't they," he asks.

She almost laughed. It was the reasoning of an Academy student with their first crush. Sasuke was a natural seducer, even a sex fiend. But it seemed that he had learned to run a marathon before crawling. When it came to normal romantic gestures, it seemed he was a novice and barely knew where to start. It was funny in an ironic way.

"Yes, most women do. It's beautiful. Why white though. Most would have gone with red," she asks.

"Because it reminds me of you, innocent. Untouched by the world," he answers.

Alright. Maybe he wasn't a novice after all. He was quite good with words, when he wanted to be.

"That was…sweet," she says with a smile.

"I don't want us to fight," he says running her thumb along her lower lip and leans in to try to kiss her.

"I don't want us to fight either. But I meant what I said," she turns her head away at the last second.

"Hinata, what do you want from me," Sasuke asks.

"I want the truth," she tells him.

"About," he questions.

"Who you really are? I feel like there are two people living inside your body at times. I never know which I'm going to get," she tells him.

"The truth is the Leaf wants to make me out to be the villain. I don't mind playing the part I was assigned. At least I didn't until recently. But I want you. But you want a _nice guy,"_ he says the last part mockingly as he pushes her against the wall.

"Sasuke," she says and starts to grow a little worried. (Sasuke constantly walked that thin line between sanity and insanity after all.)

"And I'm NOT a nice guy. I'm not Naruto. I'm never going to be him. But I NOTICED you. He's not the one that made you cry out his name last night. That was me," he growls.

"You're jealous," she states in shock.

"Fuck yes, I'm jealous," Sasuke responds before he could help himself and then immediately regrets it.

"He didn't want me as anything other a friend," Hinata says.

"But you wanted him," Sasuke says an almost accusing voice.

"I did. Now I just want him to be safe and happy. I don't want him like I used to," she tells him.

"If that's the case why are you trying to turn me into him," he asks.

"I'm not," Hinata says.

"Yes, you are. You said no more kisses or anything else, if I chose the wrong side. You want me to be the good guy. I'm just not Hinata," he tells her.

"I didn't even think of it like that," she replies.

"Well I did. And it drives me fucking crazy," Sasuke continues.

"I don't want you to be just like Naruto. I want you to be the real you. There's still good inside you. It's just buried. You could have killed Asa for getting in your way today. But instead you took her home," Hinata says.

"Does that mean my kissing privileges are restored," he murmurs in a hopeful sounding voice.

"You sound like a puppy begging for a treat," she couldn't help but giggle, at how strange the entire situation was.

"As damning as that is to my image, is it working," Sasuke asks.

"Mmm just this once," she responds.

"Thank God," Sasuke says and brings his kiss crashing down on Hinata's.

Fuck. He missed this. Sasuke realized that he was screwed. He shouldn't be this addicted to simple kisses. But he was.

Hinata gasps when she feels the "Sneak Attack." She could feel Sasuke take advantage of this because it didn't take long for him to slide his tongue into mouth. She moans into the kiss and Sasuke pushes her until she was sitting on the kitchen counter.

Maybe he couldn't be the Knight in Shining Armor. But he damn sure could please her, Sasuke thought to himself. He just wanted to make sure she'd stay. The last Uchiha could figure out the rest later.


	12. Chapter 12

Opportunity

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. Sorry about no update yesterday, I was finishing up Enchanting. I might go back and give it one more chapter as people seem to want a bonus one though. Anyway, please enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think, if you are so inclined. ^^  
 **Chapter Warning: Hinata has a limeish fantasy. It will be in italics.**

Chapter 12

Sasuke was really starting to curse the whole ignoring carnal needs thing. It was like all his hormones that he had ignored for years decided to get some payback every time he was around Hinata.

It was only natural, he supposed to be attracted to a beautiful woman. But why did it have to be someone who was so incompatible with him? Things would have been so much easier if he had fallen for someone who was as twisted as he was. (Well that was hard to do, maybe like a quarter as twisted.)

His mind knew that someone so innocent, so pure shouldn't be within a thousand feet of him. Sasuke had a habit of destroying everything he touched. Sasuke's heart though was leading a full scale revolt against this very solid logic. And as for body parts further south? Well THAT was telling his mind to, **"Shut the fuck up."**

He'd often heard that men had two heads and could only use one at a time. Sasuke had always scoffed at this notion. To be led around by your dick was so pathetic, he thought. Well Karma could be a bitch.

Here he was doing EXACTLY what he had mocked other men for doing. Instead of exercising good judgment, he was behaving recklessly. Why? Because he wanted more of her kisses. (And if he was being completely honest with himself, he wanted to test out how sturdy that countertop was.)

"Sasuke," Hinata breaks the kiss and murmurs.

"Yeah," he asks.

"We have an audience," she informs him.

It was true. Hinata noticed that the dog had wandered in. He looked so cute with his leash in his mouth. Clearly he wanted to take a walk. Overgrown puppy. Well a big puppy. The dog was truly massive.

"That is not exactly what I had in mind, when I was thinking of walking the dog," Sasuke mutters.

"Did you just make a joke," the bluenette asks.

"Kinda," Sasuke responds.

"I think I took your joke virginity," she says smugly.

"Joke virginity? You are kidding me, right," the last Uchiha asks in disbelief.

"Well it's your first time telling a joke. So in a way," she trails off and lets him fill in the blanks.

"Well fair is fair. You took my virginity, so I'll take yours later," he says smugly, puts the leash on the dog, kisses Hinata on the forehead, and heads off to take the Akita on a walk.

Hinata blinks. Sasuke had just made a joke and the Uchiha had decided he was taking her virginity. Why hearing the words actually shocked her, she didn't know. He'd more than made it clear he wanted her. Her face heated up remembering last night. Yeah, he definitely wanted her.

The last Uchiha while being a "late bloomer" when it came to seeking out female companionship, was definitely NOT shy when it came to his sexuality now. Well at least she thought he was a late bloomer. The fact he knew such a scandalous way to use his charka, implied that maybe he wasn't. Then again, just because he had seen it, didn't mean he'd used it on someone else.

He could just be a voyeur and his Sharingan could have easily copied the technique. For some reason it was easier to picture Sasuke being a "hands on" learner in this capacity. He didn't seem like a voyeur. Then again if you had told her a month ago that she would enjoy having Sasuke's chakra ravish her, she wouldn't have believed it. So anything was possible.

"I need help," Hinata mutters as her imagination goes into overdrive and "helpfully" supplies some scenarios showing how Sasuke had learned the chakra jutsu.

 _In Hinata's imagination, Sasuke was wearing his typical long sleeved white shirt and blue pants. Some woman with long dark hair, was sliding off that damn purple "belt." Sasuke surprisingly allows this and pushes the woman against a stone wall and rips her clothes off with one powerful tug._

 _The woman in question had large breasts, wide hips, long legs, and…looked suspiciously familiar. At second glance, her hair wasn't black but dark blue. It was herself!_

 _Sasuke devours her mouth and has the chakra roll over her. After a few minutes of teasing, he slams it back inside her, causing her imaginary counterpart to moan._

 _"Think you are ready for the real thing, kitten," he purrs darkly into her ear._

"… I really need a therapist," Hinata mutters to herself when her little fantasy or whatever that was ended.

Hinata began to worry if maybe she was suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. It would make more sense than falling for a cold blooded killer who had taken over her village and locked up her first crush, God knows where. As she was pondering that thought, she saw Asa out of the corner of her eye.

"No, that's not it," she murmurs.

Sasuke's mind was twisted, extremely so. But it hadn't started off that way. More and more there were hints of who he might have been, if the Massacre had never taken place. A cold blooded killer didn't take in an orphan and get his prisoner a dog.

It was…oddly domestic in a demented way. Kid? Check. Dog? Check. Beautiful clothes and jewelry for his "wife?" Check. All that Sasuke was missing at this point was a white picket fence. Was his need for a family really that deep that he would _play house_ with a captive? It was actually kinda sad and adorable at the same time. Was this way of reaching out?

"Good morning Asa," Hinata calls out.

"Good morning," Asa replies.

It occurred to Asa that she didn't know the woman's name. She seemed important to Sasuke for whatever reason. It'd probably be a good idea to get on her good side. The young girl didn't know how she was still alive. She knew what the man was capable of and had defied him.

"I'm Hinata," she offers.

"Oh. Good morning Hinata," she says.

"Are you hungry," she asks.

"Yes," she answers shyly.

"Let's see if we can't find you something to eat," she says and opens the fridge. (Yes, it was domestic in a very twisted way.)

Sasuke couldn't believe he was walking a dog, like a normal person. He had always wanted a dog as a child, but his father was allergic. After his family died, he had other things on his mind. That and he was often away on missions or training. So even as a child/teenager, he knew it wouldn't have been fair to the animal.

Well at least the Akita was well trained. He didn't try to go running off. The overgrown canine was a lovable mutt, Sasuke had to give him that. His tail was always wagging and he seemed to enjoy the attention from the braver children that dared to risk Sasuke's wrath to ask if they could pet him. If there was one thing that kids couldn't resist, it was something furry.

Sasuke allowed it. He wasn't completely heartless. At some point, he'd need to grasp power more firmly over the Leaf. He couldn't keep power for good if he was completely loathed. Public image was important. He needed to be feared for his abilities, not for being a complete psychopath.

He takes the Akita, who really needed a fucking name, down one of the older streets. Less people were there. Sasuke could be mostly alone with his thoughts. Which were currently chaotic.

"You are really lucky. Things are simpler for dogs," Sasuke mutters as he pets the giant canine.

The Akita seemed oblivious to his master's inner turmoil and was walking around excitedly. He sniffed the ground and his tail continued wagging. He seemed happy just to be outside. Sasuke reminded himself to take the dog out more often or have Hinata do it. It wasn't healthy for such a large animal to be cooped up all the time.

"You see a girl you like, she goes into heat, you take her, and then puppies. Much simpler," Sasuke says and couldn't help but feel a little jealous at how simple it was for animals.

Oh that he understood. The word heat got his attention and he looks around like, where? Sasuke laughs. It was almost like the dog understood him. Then again, maybe he did. Kiba's dog couldn't talk, but he clearly understood what Kiba said to him.

Meanwhile in the Sand, Gaara paces in his office. Sasuke Uchiha had taken over the Leaf. He had Naruto held hostage somewhere. The red head needed to find out where.

"It's only dumb luck that has stopped an outright massacre," the young Kage mutters to himself as he continues pacing around his office and begins to wear a hole in the carpet.

He was fully aware that if Sasuke had wanted to, he could have leveled that village. The only person who could really stop him from doing so, was Naruto. In the not so distant past, Gaara might have been able to. But now, Sasuke was in a different league.

At best, Gaara might be able to get a few hits in and stall for time as others escaped his wrath. The thought bothered him immensely, but he was a realist. He knew his limits.

"But Hinata was with him. She didn't seem to be distressed," Gaara muses to himself.

Was it possible that the Uchiha actually cared for her? Sasuke did want to restore his clan. Gaara was aware of that much. So at would need a lover sooner or later. But Hinata?

It didn't make any sense. The Hyuga was so shy, so sweet. That and the red head had thought she was in love with Naruto. Maybe that was the reason. Was it a way to get back at Naruto by bedding the woman that loved the blonde? Was Sasuke really that twisted? Yes, yes he was.

"Still doesn't make any sense. If that was the case, Hinata should be upset. She even went out of her way to defend him," he observes and shakes his head at the very confusing situation.

Sasuke had built an orphanage? What the Hell? He knew the last Uchiha well enough to realize that it was likely not out of the goodness of his heart. But Hinata seemed to think it was. Maybe the dark haired man could actually emphasize with the orphans? People overlooked this, but the Uchiha had been orphaned when he was a small child.

As far as Gaara could tell, no one had taken Sasuke or Naruto in. In Naruto's case, he was outright scorned. The Sand would never be that stupid to let a jinchuuriki wander around unsupervised! Gaara's father had hated him, but he never outright kicked him out of the house. (Though there relationship had been repaired thanks to him being reanimated, that was another story.) It was like the Leaf was just asking for trouble.

"He didn't seem too pleased that she told me about the orphanage," he chuckles and then he stops chuckling realizing that it might not be a laughing matter for Hinata.

He hoped that the Uchiha didn't punish her too severely for her "offense." He wouldn't actually hurt her, would he? He'd given her an extremely expensive necklace with his clan's symbol on it. It wouldn't make sense to hurt her after that gesture.

Gaara knew little about jewelry. But he recognized diamonds and rubies when he saw that. That necklace might have cost more to make than his entire office had cost. One didn't give away such an expensive piece if there wasn't meaning behind it.

Back in the Leaf, Sasuke smirks. Idiots. Did they really think they could sneak up on him. He shoos the dog off and radiates the Chidori throughout his body, just in time for the first of his attackers to lunge.

"You didn't really think it'd be that easy. That's insulting. Or are you all really just that stupid," Sasuke growls.

"We didn't think it'd be that easy," he says and Sasuke is now aware of about 50 ninjas.

Hmm so they definitely knew how to mask their chakra. Odd that Sasuke hadn't picked it up until the last minute. Oh well they were all going to die in a few minutes anyway.

"Any last words," Sasuke asks.

"I was about to say the same to you," he says and a flurry of weapons dipped in a chakra suppressing substance come flying at Sasuke at a positively lethal speed.

The Akita didn't take kindly to his master being attacked. He growls and lunges at one of the ninjas, biting into his leg HARD. Then he bounds off and starts charging at the next one.

"Good boy," Sasuke mutters and continues dodging.

Sasuke shouldn't have let himself be distracted. He feels a sharp prick to the back of his neck. Fuckers. A kunai had nicked him in the back of the neck. Normally he wouldn't be concerned about this, but he could already feel the "poison" spreading.

He knew what it was intended to do, stop him from using his chakra. They figured if he couldn't use his chakra they could overwhelm him with numbers. It wouldn't be a bad strategy, if they weren't fucking fleas to him. They were going to pay for this.

"You're all going to die," Sasuke informs them and reaches for his sword to deliver on that promise.

He sways on his feet. What the Hell? Shit. It wasn't just designed to prevent him from using his chakra, but also a paralyzing agent.

"No, only one person is dying here today. That is you," the ninja says and lunges at Sasuke, only to be intercepted by one very large and angry dog.

"The man's best friend this is suddenly starting to make a whole lot more sense," Sasuke chuckles darkly.

"WILL SOMEONE JUST KILL THAT DAMN MUTT," he hears one growl as his vision becomes blurry.

Hinata heard the angry growls of a dog and the clashes of kuanis being thrown. She went to investigate. It looked like a bunch of ninjas were trying to jump Sasuke. Why wasn't he fighting back? Then she saw the injury on the back of his neck, he'd been drugged with something.

"If you touch my dog, I will kill you. I never thought I'd see the day when Leaf Villagers became animal abusers," Sasuke hears Hinata say and boy did she sound pissed.

What Hinata? What the fuck was she doing here? She could get hurt.

"The dog's protecting a monster. It made its choice and besides it chewed up some of my men pretty good. Sorry Lady Hinata. You don't need to see this," the ANBU says.

"Who is the monster here? The one who would kill an animal for protecting their owner and needs fifty members of the ANBU to take on one man or the one who could have killed all of us at any time if he wanted to," Hinata snaps.

Sasuke tilts his head, well as much as he could given the fact that his body was becoming numb. Hinata was defending him? Well mostly the dog. But she was also defending him. Damn that was an S Class tongue lashing. His kitten had claws when she wanted to was his last thought before he passed out from the drug that was rapidly spreading throughout his bloodstream.

"He's unconscious. We can make this quick," the ANBU reasons and advances towards Sasuke.

"If you kill him, we still won't know where Naruto is. Naruto could die locked away in a cell somewhere because of you," Hinata yells at him and slams him with a not so "Gentle Fist."

"She's right. Just take him. We can interrogate him and then kill him," another says.

"NO ONE IS KILLING ANYONE TODAY. WHAT IS SO FUCKING DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT THAT," Hinata thunders and her Byakugan activates in anger.

You could have heard a pin drop. Lady Hinata, never raised her voice. She surely never cursed. It was shocking enough that everyone dropped what they were doing.

"All of you, just go," she says and the men were shocked enough to do exactly that.

Hinata rushes Sasuke to the hospital. She knew it was a gamble, but she took him to see Sakura. She didn't trust the others not to try to kill him while they "healed" him. She could use her Mystical Palm on injuries, but this was a poison. He needed more medical knowledge than she had.

"Sakura," she cries out.

"Hey, Hinata. What's wrong? Is that Sasuke," she pinkette demands to know in absolute shock.

"Yes, he was ambushed by a lot of ANBUS. They hit him with some poison." she says.

"Well then looks like they did our work for us. What'd you take his body here to get his eyes removed before they fell into the wrong hands," the pinkette asks.

"SAKURA! I came here because I need you to give him the antidote," Hinata snaps.

"Why? This way the village can go back to the way it was. He's not the same boy he used to be Hinata. I know you are too kind to kill in cold blood, but he's not," the medic says.

"Because if he dies, we'll never find out where Naruto is. Is that what you want," Hinata snaps.

"Fuck! You're right. Alright," she starts frantically searching for the antidote.

Hinata sighs in relief. She shoos the medic out of the hospital room, that Sakura put Sasuke in while he was in recovery. After a few minutes, Sasuke's eyes open.

"I'm at the hospital," he says.

"Yes. You were poisoned," Hinata says.

"And you saved me," it wasn't a question, but a statement.

"I wasn't going to just let you die," the bluenette says.

"You always have to save everyone, kitten," Sasuke sounds amused.

"That's right," she tells him.

"On the bright side, I think I have a name for the dog now," the dark haired man muses.

"You're kidding, right," Hinata asks in disbelief.

"No. Charger. It suits him," Sasuke states.

"Why Charger," she questions.

"He charges at the enemy without any hesitation," Sasuke answers.

"This is so surreal," the Hyuga tells him.

"What is," Sasuke questions.

"All of it. But especially you naming a dog," Hinata replies.

"Well we can't call him dog, forever," the last Uchiha replies with a shrug.

"Yeah. But it's so normal," the woman finds herself saying.

"And I'm not normal. That's what you mean," he inquires.

"No…you aren't," she answers.

"Hinata, being normal is VASTLY overrated. I hate to break this to you, but you aren't normal either," he counters.

"What do you mean," she dares to venture.

"You were willing to go up against fifty ANBU for a dog and a criminal. That's not normal," he informs her.

"Well…I guess that's true," she admits.

"I don't want normal though. I want you," he says.

Hinata didn't know how to respond to that. Did he just mean sexually or was that Sasuke's version of a love declaration? He was so difficult to read. She decided that for the moment, she'd just be content with the knowledge that he wanted her and admitted it. It was a start. Though she didn't really know where she wanted this to end up.

Sasuke found himself smiling. If she wanted to leave him, she would have been able to with ease today. She could have just let the ANBUS finish him off. But she hadn't. Instead she had saved him.

She had even gone out of her way to take him to the hospital. That meant she wanted him. This time she wouldn't be able to pawn it off to being caught up in the moment. It was one thing to return his kisses when he initiated. It was another to save his life.

"Are you hurt," he asks.

It occurred to him that she could have been injured after he had lost consciousness. If she was, he'd make sure that the ANBU who did it died screaming. He was vaguely disturbed by the odd surge of possessiveness. But he decided to contemplate that another day.

"How long do I have to stay at the hospital? I hate hospitals," he mutters.

"Sakura, said that it should completely leave your system in a few hours," she answers.

"So I'm just supposed to lay around, doing nothing for hours," Sasuke sulks.

"Are you sulking," Hinata asks laughing.

"I'm not sulking," he says and yes, he sulks some more.

"It's not that long," she reassures him.

"Well maybe you can find a way to entertain me. I know what would make me feel better," he says.

"What," she asks.

"A striptease," he answers.

Sasuke blinks and reaches over, to catch Hinata before she fell. She had fainted. Well he supposed some things would never change. She was still such an innocent kitten. But she was his kitten.


	13. Chapter 13

Opportunity

Author's Note: Thanks for the review. Still debating what to do with Naruto at this point. Let me guys know what you think. Anyway onto the next chapter. Oh and Sasuke finally gets to enjoy some lemonade with Hinata. ;)

Chapter 13

Sasuke shakes his head at his almost lover. Really, she was so innocent. She fainted at the mere mention of a striptease.

He this found ironic considering what he had done to her with his chakra. But this was Hinata. He'd come to the conclusion that no matter what he did with her, she was always going to be bashful when the topic of sexuality came up. Oddly enough, she wasn't when they were actually DOING things.

It was just TALKING about it that seemed to trigger fainting. Hyugas could be really strange sometimes. His clan had always been fairly open about their sexuality. They were far from exhibitionists, but many a "dirty joke" had been cracked at family reunions.

It wasn't an uncommon sight to see two lovers slip off in the middle of a clan meeting. Even his father didn't object to such a thing. Passion after all was what led to children. Children were the lifeblood of any clan. His father had understood that.

"Hinata," he calls out softly.

Hmm no response. He sighs and pulls her against his chest. Well he could at least get some cuddling and caressing in. He'd never thought of himself as a cuddler. Bu that was before Hinata. Sasuke's life now divided into two different sections. There was before Hinata and after Hinata. He much preferred after to the before. It was like his world has been in black and white and now it was filled with every color imaginable. The blue of her hair. Her pink blush. Her creamy white skin. That damn red kimono that taunted him. Her lavender eyes that called out to him, no matter where he was. And well many colors other colors.

Hinata was so soft and warm. She fit so perfectly against him. How could he not indulge in being close to her? Of course if anyone labeled him a cuddler to his face, it wouldn't end well for them. He did after all have a reputation to protect, if he was going to maintain his hold on this village. That was something he had ever intention of doing.

"Mmm," Hinata mumbles and snuggles into his side.

"Adorable," he murmurs and kisses the top of her head.

He really didn't know how she did that. Even when she was asleep, she still managed to soothe him. He'd just been jumped by fifty ninjas. But instead of plotting his revenge, the only thing he was focused on right now was her. The last Uchiha knew that he should be disturbed by that. He couldn't bring himself to care though.

A short while later, Hinata wakes up. She blushes when she realizes how close she was to Sasuke. He must have dozed off while she was unconscious. He looked so peaceful. It was hard to reconcile the image of the man sleeping next to her with the same person who had murdered twelve people in the Arena.

It really should be a crime for a man to be that beautiful. This was especially true when his hands were covered in blood. All ninjas ended up with blood on their hands if they lived long enough, but his body count was probably a mile long. And yet, he could tease her so playfully about a striptease. Honestly, she wondered if Sasuke might be bipolar.

His eyes slowly flutter open. He gives her a small smile. Hinata doubted many people had seen him smile, that made his smile more precious to her. It was just a small one. Still it was stunning and his eyes conveyed what he was thinking. _Thank you for staying with me._

"Morning," she says.

"Morning? I was out that long," Sasuke asks.

"Uh huh. Hope Asa is okay," he says and gets up stretching.

"You really care about her," Hinata muses.

"She's different than most of the village," Sasuke says casually, a little too casually.

"How," the bluenette asks.

"She's like you," the dark haired man answers.

"Because she has blue hair," Hinata asks with a laugh.

"That too. But I meant in spirit. She's willing to die for those that she cares about. I lost my temper with Iruka. She stepped in. Not that she could have stopped me. But it's the thought that counts," he continues.

"You like it when people challenge you," she states because it sure as Hell didn't sound like a question.

"I like it when people don't stand idly by and bad things happen because it doesn't effect them. Loyalty and bravery are important to me. This village pretends to value them, but it doesn't," he responds and marvels at how words just flowed so freely from his tongue when he was around her.

"You still blame the village for the massacre," she mutters.

"Yes, I do. It never should have gotten to that point. They shoved us to the side. That made us easy scapegoats. The entire village went along with it because it was easier. If it hadn't been us, they would have done it to someone else. It might even have been your clan. That is the type of people they are," he tells her in disgust.

"I'm sorry," she murmurs and kisses him.

Sasuke kisses back. He wasn't sure why she was sorry. It wasn't her fault. It was the Leaf's fault. His kitten played no part in the sins of this damn village. He knew that. So why was she apologizing?

"It's not your fault. But if you really feel guilty…about that striptease," he says.

"…YOU ARE IMPOSSIBLE," she exclaims and swats him lightly on the last Uchiha's nose.

Alright. He admitted that he deserved that one. She had only swatted him. It didn't hurt. Still he touches his nose in shock.

"That one's a freebie. Do it again and I will give you a damn good reason to blush," he promises her.

Hinata feels her face heating up. Her mind immediately flashing to THAT night. Dammit. She hated that she blushed so easily. Sasuke seemed to take great amusement in it though.

"Kitten, sometimes you are too easy," he says and kisses her forehead in a surprisingly affectionate gesture.

"Hmpf," she says.

"Don't pout," he scoops her up in his arms and carries her off bridal style, causing Hinata to blush madly.

Everyone who was on the street saw the Hyuga being carried off by Sasuke bridal style. To say they were getting a few looks was an understatement. Sasuke didn't care though.

He was having fun. He LIKED showing Hinata off. It was a new feeling, giddiness almost? Maybe he was still suffering from the lingering effects of whatever he'd been hit with. Sasuke Uchiha did not feel giddy, ever. It was such a strange feeling. Good, but strange. It felt utterly alien to him and yet completely normal at the same time.

"… What happened to Charger," Hinata asks and blinks when she saw the dog.

That was a good question. Poor Charger. Someone had humiliated the canine. He was covered in bows, ribbons, glitter, and had in some places braids. That poor dog.

"Isn't he pretty," Asa asks and smiles, proud of her work.

"…," Sasuke was speechless.

"Yes, he's very pretty," Hinata says with a laugh.

"I'm wondering how she managed to do all that," Sasuke mutters to Hinata.

"Oh I found the dog treats. He is a very nice dog if you feed him lots," Asa says as if she made a brilliant discovery.

"Uh huh," Sasuke says.

Charger trots over to Sasuke and licks his hand. The last Uchiha pats his head consolingly. He couldn't believe Asa had played dress up with the dog.

That dog that had served him faithfully in battle. She'd treated him like he was some toy dog. Children, honestly. But he wasn't truly mad at her. But that didn't mean he was going to continue to let Charger's dignity continue to suffer. Well what little remained of his dignity anyway.

"Asa, it's late. Why don't we get you ready for bed," Hinata suggests.

"Okay," she heads off with the other woman.

"Jeez. Women," Sasuke says and starts trying to help restore Charger's dignity.

"Sasuke, why are you covered in glitter," Hinata asks innocently, when she returns.

"I was trying to get it off Charger. I'm convinced this stuff was made by the Devil. I can't get it off me," he growls.

"Well I think you look quite pretty in it," Hinata giggles.

"You did not just call me pretty," Sasuke scoffs.

"I did," the bluenette repeats.

"Just for that, you are helping me get this shit off," he growls in frustration at his current situation.

"How am I supposed to do that," she asks.

"Bathing with me," he answers as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"WH-AT," Hinata asks and blushes deeply. (Sasuke was amazed that Hinata's skin hadn't permanently turned red at this point.)

"I've already seen you naked. So there is really no reason to be so shy. Really it's only fair that you can see me, I've seen you," he offers and tries to reassure her.

"Well that's true," she says and she couldn't deny a certain part of her mind was rather curious to see what he looked like without his clothes. (A part of her mind that she had tried to burry as deeply as she could. But it was determined to taunt her with some suggestive images.)

"Good," Sasuke says and throws her over his shoulder.

"Sas-uke, put me down," she stammers.

"Oh I will soon, I promise," he says and carries her to the baths as if she weighed nothing at all.

"Sasuke, don't you dare," Hinata squeaks.

"Too late," Sasuke gently drops Hinata into the bath.

"EEEKKKK. It's cold," she cries out.

"That's your fault. It's the easiest way to deal with the constant problem you are giving me," he growls into her ear and while Hinata was squirming in the cold water, Sasuke strips.

Hinata was facing away from him, so she didn't get the full eyeful. She wasn't an idiot however. She was perfectly aware of what he was doing.

"Really? Because of me," she asks shyly.

"Yes, really," he pulls her into his arms, he was sitting in the water with his legs stretched out.

"Oh sorry," she mumbles.

"If you were anyone else, I would accuse you of being a cocktease. But you are you. So I know you didn't intentionally do it. You are getting this damn glitter off of me," he mutters.

"Okay," she says and grabs a wash clothe, slowly sliding it over his face, chest, and hands.

Damn, he was really covered in the shiny substance. It wasn't just one color either. It seemed nearly the entire rainbow was represented. She saw red, purple, blue, pink, and green. Asa liked colorful things it seemed. Which probably only wounded Sasuke's dignity more.

"There. Is that better," she asks, holding up a mirror for him to check.

"Much," he agrees.

"Good. AHH-CHOO," she sneezes.

"Guess the water, really is too cold for you. Here, I'll help," he murmurs and the water gradually gets warmer.

"How'd you do that," she asks.

"Think of it as a low power fire jutsu," he says.

"Oh. Wait you can do that," she questions.

"Yes. Once you master a jutsu, you can easily adjust the intensity to be less or more," he explains.

"Oh good to know," she muses.

"And those are taunting me," Sasuke says.

"What's taunting you," Hinata dares to venture.

"These," he growls and captures one of her clothed, tightened nipples in his hot mouth, sucking lightly.

She gasps and moans. Hinata tries to squirm away. But Sasuke wasn't having any of that. He gives the other one the same treatment. After a few minutes of this sinfully good torture, he seems satisfied.

"There," he says smugly.

"Now who is the tease," she pants.

"Definitely not me. If you want more, all you have to do is say so," he purrs darkly into her ear.

 **Warning Lemon**

Hinata bites her lower lip. She did want more. He was being good, right? Hell he had even helped a dog get glitter off it and not killed Asa for "humiliating" Charger.

Besides, she was already wearing the necklace of his clan, the clothes of his grandmother, and engaged in a rather creative form of intimacy with him. Was it really so wrong to go further?

"I want more," she whispers.

Sasuke tilts his head to the side. Had she really said that she wanted more? Maybe he had just imagined it. No, she was blushing too much for it to be merely his imagination.

"Tell me what you want," he says and kisses her neck.

"I want you," she mews cutely.

Well if he hadn't been rock hard before, THAT would have done it. It was so innocent and yet so erotic to hear her say that. She was admitting that she wanted him and that little only made him want to screw her into the bathtub more.

"Good. Because I want you too. But I was thinking you could be more," he grinds his arousal against her clothed core, "specific."

"Do t-hat again," she pleads.

"Better," he says approvingly and rewards her by grinding their lower halves together once more.

Hinata was starting to grow accustomed to seeing his Sharingan. She no longer associated it with him killing people. It was just Sasuke's not so subtle way of saying he wanted her. It was terrifyingly beautiful up close, just like him.

"I want you to kiss me and touch me," she tells him.

"Touch you where," he asks.

Hinata turns red with embarrassment. He wasn't actually going to make her say that, was he? A pointless question she knew. Of course he was going to make her say it.

"Everywhere," she mumbles.

Sasuke captures her lips in a heated kiss. She was so shy. It was adorable. But he was going to teach his kitten how to be a sex kitten one way or another. That included the ever important _Seduction with Words._

Most people called this dirty talking. Sasuke did not. That sounded so…unattractive. Seduction was a much better way to put it. Words were important.

Hinata moans into the kiss and wraps her arms around him again. It didn't matter how many times he kissed her. She was always overwhelmed by how good it felt. She still knew that her attraction to him was wrong. But there was enough good inside him, that maybe she could help him find his way again.

"Now," he breaks the kiss and nips at her neck, "be more specific," he orders.

"You know where," she murmurs.

"No, I'm afraid that's not good enough. Kitten you'll need to tell me what you like. There are just so many options. There's your pretty neck. Those gorgeous breasts of yours. And that's just the beginning," he murmurs.

"My breasts," she mumbles.

"Better," he says approvingly and yanks her bra off, before palming her breasts in his hands.

"Nhhh yes," she murmurs and sighs in pleasure.

"Communication is important in a relationship kitten. I'm not a mind reader. So you have to tell me what you like and what you don't," he says and slides one of his hands down, pulling off her pants and panties.

"Yes," she murmurs, enjoying his touches too much to worry about the fact that she was now naked.

Sasuke smirks and places light kisses along her stomach. He brushes his fingertips against her womanhood. He never enters, only teases. He wanted to see how much she could take before she begged.

Hinata squirms. She could feel her body begin to pulse with desire. If she wasn't already in the water, she knew she'd be soaked with the evidence. He was such a tease.

"More," she says.

"More what? My hands, my mouth, or something bigger," he asks with a smirk.

Hinata was convinced at this point, that Sasuke had sadistic tendencies when it came to sex. He wouldn't actually hurt his partner. But he would make them want him so badly, until it hurt, and they begged.

He wanted her to beg. That seemed to be what he was after. Fuck it! When he begin brushing his thumb over clit in circles, she lost any sense of modesty.

"Something bigg-er," she moans wantonly.

Hinata at this point, barely recognized her own voice. She didn't know she could make sounds like this. But she didn't care. All that she cared about was making painfully good ache between her legs go away.

"Good," Sasuke says, grabbing her, pulling her out of the bath, and setting her on the cool tiled floor.

He looks at her as if considering something. Hinata thought he was debating how he wanted to take her. There was something very primal about the way he was looking at her. Again she was reminded of a jungle cat about to pounce on their prey.

"Sorry, kitten. There's no real way around the pain the first time. But I promise, it will feel VERY good shortly," he says, sitting on his knees.

Hinata was confused about why he was sitting on his knees. That made no sense. Then he grabs her legs and pulls them over his shoulders. She blushes scarlet. She'd never felt so exposed. He could see everything from that position.

"It lets me move deeper inside you. You'll like it," he promises and slides into his new lover slowly.

FUCK! He figured she'd be hot and tight, but this much. Sasuke didn't know that it was possible for his body to actually be capable of feeling THIS fucking good. It took every ounce of self control not to just ravish her against the bathroom floor. He growls lustfully and wills himself to stay still until she adjusts.

Hinata cries out when he enters her. Sasuke felt guilty. Well he would have felt guilty if his dick hadn't currently died and gone to the Heaven that was known as Hinata.

"It's okay, I think," she tells him.

"Thank God," he growls and starts to move.

If being inside her felt like Heaven, Sasuke had lost the verbal prowess to describe what moving felt like. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! His head was practically swimming in pleasure.

Hinata gasps when he slams into her with powerful thrusts. He hit something inside her. She wasn't sure what it was, but it made her see stars behind her eyes and cry out his name. Sasuke seemed to realize he had found THAT spot and continues slamming into it again and again. Each thrust a new physical high of euphoria.

Sasuke was making sounds that Hinata didn't think were entirely human in nature. But the meaning behind them was clear. He wanted her as much as she wanted him.

 **End of Lemon**

A few hours later, Sasuke pulls Hinata close to him. They had spent the entire night exploring each other. Sasuke was now…oddly grateful for the "unique" education that living in the Sound could give a man, even if you weren't directly participating. It gave him lots of potential ideas to choose from.

"Wow. I think I finally get it now," Hinata mutters.

"Get what," he asks curiously.

"Why all the girls want the bad guy. The sex is…wow," she pants.

"I aim to please," Sasuke says smugly and kisses her.

"Yes, you do," she kisses back.


	14. Chapter 14

Opportunity

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews guy. Looks like Selene Moonchild is left the 100th review for this story. So Selene if you want, you can claim your prize. ^^ If not whoever reviewed after her can..

 **New Story:** For those of you interested in a more light hearted story, I just posted a new story called White Lace. It is Sasuke x Hinata. No massacre. Sadie123's request. Check it out want some sensual laughs.

Chapter Fourteen

Sasuke smiles as he watches Hinata sleep. He had no idea how she could look so damn angelic after everything they had done the night before. It was a gift, he decided.

"Beautiful." He murmurs and brushes the hair out of her face as she slumbers.

That's when Sasuke saw Charger race by. He was chasing after large white, fluffy…presumably female dog. Shit. Was Charger fixed?

Sasuke probably should ask Kiba. The last Uchiha had no idea. Well fixed or not, the furball was certainly willing to give it a go. He blinks as he watches his dog scamper off after the other one.

Oh well it wasn't like he couldn't afford to care for puppies. Asa would probably like a puppy. Hinata liked anything cute and small.

Wait puppies…speaking of small, cute things. Fuck! Dammit! Hinata hadn't used the jutsu and Sasuke hadn't used any protection either. What if she was pregnant?

"How could I be so stupid?" He asks and smacks his forehead, berating himself.

Sasuke Uchiha was supposed to be a genius. He was supposed to be an excellent planner. But he had forgotten to use or ask Hinata to use any form of contraception. Well he knew how he could be so stupid. Hinata had been so damn irresistible and he had clearly been thinking with the wrong head.

"Well it was only one time." He tries to rationalize.

What were the odds her cycle would line up with last night? It wasn't that he didn't want children. He did. Desperately really.

It wasn't that he didn't want Hinata to be the mother of those children. Hinata would make a wonderful mother. It was the TIMING. It wasn't safe to start working on reviving his clan in THAT way yet.

He had just taken over the Leaf Village. Gaara was not stupid. He wouldn't attack. But Sasuke realized that the red head wanted to. The Kazekage was smart. He could find ways to make Sasuke's life very difficult, even if he wouldn't go to war directly. The Stone Village he'd taken over easily enough. But there was still Mei and the Raikage to consider.

Sasuke took one look at his sleeping lover and decided he'd need to ensure that his hold on the Leaf was made solid. He hated to admit this to himself. But yeah, he'd probably would taking her again without using protection. His brain took a holiday when it came to Hinata.

 _"Do you love her?"_ The words of his former Sensei stubbornly rang out once more in his head.

 _Yes._ He could finally admit it, at least to himself. Sasuke didn't want to say it outloud. He felt like that would jinx it. Everyone that he'd ever loved had died. Actually, he should probably be concerned about Asa and Charger too. The furball and girl were growing on him.

"Sasuke?" Hinata asks uncertainly.

"Yeah?" He replies.

"Did I do something wrong? You look…unhappy about something." She asks.

"No. You were perfect. I'm unhappy with myself. Normally I'm smarter than this. I forgot to ask you to use the Justu or to throw a condom on." Sasuke answers bluntly. (Sasuke was never one to beat around the bush. She had asked a question and he would answer it honestly.)

Hinata's eyes widen. It looked like he had screwed her brains out rather thoroughly if she hadn't thought of that possibility yet. He couldn't help but feel a smug swelling of masculine pride at his ability to please his lover. But he told himself, that was NOT the point. The point was there was a possibility that she might be carrying his child.

"Do you think that I'm…" She trails off.

"It's possible. The odds are still slim though." He reassures her.

"If I was though…" She lets the question hang in the air.

"I'd take care of both of you. Don't EVER doubt that." He tells her.

"Possibly the three of us." She mumbles.

"Three of us? What are you talking about?" Sasuke asks, cocking his head to the side.

"Twins run in my family." She explains.

"Ohhh. Really? Well in that case I would take care of the three of you." He clarifies.

Hinata nods her head. Sasuke saw that flash of relief in her eyes. She didn't seriously think that after THAT he was going to ignore her? Damn. It looked like she really had been worried this being a one night stand.

"I want more than one night with you." He tells her and kisses the bluenette.

She kisses back and smiles. Sasuke was relived that she left it at that. He loved her but he was not good at the whole sweet nothings thing. When it came to spicing things up sexually with some suggestive language in the bedroom (or baths in this case), the he could do. But sappy declarations of love, well he wasn't wired that way. Thank God she was low maintenance. Just another thing that he loved about his kitten.

"You should probably head to your room. If you keep sleeping on the bathroom floor, you are going to hurt your back." He warns his new lover in a voice filled with some concern. (She was a ninja. Sleeping on a hard floor one night wasn't going to do permanent damage. But still.)

"I would but I don't think I can walk." She answers with a blush.

"Was I really that rough?" Sasuke asks, a little alarmed.

"You were…passionate. But you didn't hurt me." Hinata reassures him.

"Good. Alright, I'll take you back to your room." He says, scooping up bridal style again, and carries her there.

Hinata noted this was beginning to be a pattern. She was starting to think that Sasuke enjoyed carrying her this way. It was an unmistakable claim. The Hyuga suspected that he was likely a highly possessive lover.

"Here. I have to go and take care of a few things. But I'll be back tonight." He tells her as he lays her on the bed.

"You aren't going to kill anyone, are you?" Hinata asks.

"I might. But hopefully it doesn't come to that. Besides, I find myself in a rather…good mood at the moment. The idiots have better not ruin it." He tells her and kisses her forehead before heading off.

Sasuke had to prepare after all. He smirks as he rigs the conference room. When the other Kage's came in. He would speak with them. If things got out of hand, he would merely press the button and the poisonous gas would flood the room. It would kill them instantly. But he had developed an immunity to it while at the Sound. (How? Let's just say you don't want to know.)

Hinata was still back in her room. Charger had wandered in at some point. She was happy to have someone to talk to, even if it was someone who couldn't talk back. Besides, petting him provided a nice distraction while she tried to sort out her thoughts.

"What did I get myself into?" She murmurs as much to herself as to the lovable canine.

She had just lost her virginity not to the boy who she had admired to years, but to the man who had taken over her village. A village that she loved and had sworn to protect at all costs. What the Hell was wrong with her? What had she been thinking?

She was now a traitor's lover. And she had _**LIKED**_ being with him in that way. Even now she felt her face heating up at how wanton she had been. But despite how wrong it was, she knew that if he tried to take her to his bed again, she would say yes. (Alright it had been his bath technically, but really it was the principle of the thing.)

Charger just blissfully rolls over onto his back. He seemed completely oblivious to Hinata's inner turmoil. He had more important things to worry about it seemed, like getting a belly rub. She smiles at the large dog.

"Good boy." She mutters.

Sasuke was right. They hadn't used protection. There was a possibility, however slim, that she might be pregnant.

That thought should have terrified her. It should have disgusted her. She knew well what he was capable of doing. She had seen him butcher twelve men right before her eyes and walk off with no more remorse than someone who had swatted a fly.

"So why doesn't it?" She asks herself.

Her first thought hadn't been terror or regret. It had been worry. What if he had no interest in their child? What if he had just wanted a pleasant distraction from whatever was going on in his clearly demented mind? Would he be angry if she was expecting?

"He said he'd take care of us." She mumbles to herself.

She believed him when he said that. Despite everything that Sasuke had done, the bluenette couldn't think of a time when he had actually lied. He also did have a clan to restore. So maybe he would have accepted any child, as long as there was that distant potential that one day they might have his eyes.

 _"I want more than one night with you."_ She remembered him saying and it had sounded so sincere.

That meant that it was more than a one night stand. But he might grow bored with her. She didn't fool herself. She was a novice when it came to physical intimacy.

She'd never be able to compete with Sasuke when it came to things like…creativity in the bedroom. Like how he could use his chakra. Well maybe she could do that one.

She'd always had excellent chakra control. Maybe she could stroke him with just her chakra? She blushed at how easily her thoughts turned carnal. Yes, he was a bad influence on her.

"I need help, boy. I really need help." She sighs.

She rarely had these types of thoughts before. Even when she was in love with Naruto, rarely did her thoughts move past things innocent kisses and embraces. There was NOTHING innocent about Sasuke though.

Oh yes, Hinata definitely needed to see a therapist. She was thinking about the Leaf's worst traitor in a very inappropriate way. She was even contemplating whether or not she wanted to carry his child.

Charger senses her distress and lays his head on her lap. She was a good mistress. He didn't know what was confusing her. But he could recognize frustration when he saw it. It was like when that damn cat got away from him once. One day he was going to catch that cat!

"I miss the old days, when the hardest decision I had to make was whether or not to enter the Chunin Exams," she mumbles.

Meanwhile the other Kages had arrived. Sasuke sits at the table. As expected, the Raikage looked like he wanted to kill Sasuke. Mei was torn between obvious fury and the last Uchiha thought she might have been checking him out. He wasn't entirely sure. She had made that too handsome to kill remark once. Gaara had a look of suspicion and endurance. Yep, they were going to be annoying.

"I assume the Kazekage briefed you on the current situation." Sasuke states.

"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE. YOU MURDERED HIM!" The Raikage thundered.

"I'll take that as a yes. Shall we get started?" Sasuke ignores that outburst.

"I want to know Naruto's condition." Gaara says immediately and Sasuke had to admit that Gaara's devotion to his friend was touching.

"He's unharmed and hidden where none of you will find him. So don't even try." Sasuke states.

"And we are just supposed to take your word for that?" Mei demands and scowls at the last Uchiha.

"You don't have a choice." Sasuke informs her.

"For what purpose did you call this meeting, other than to taunt us?" The Raikage bellows.

"I enjoy taunting all of you. But I thought we should clear up a few things. I rule the Leaf now. It is going to stay that way. Stand against me and you will end up like the Stone Kage. I gave him a him a relatively painless death. I might not feel so merciful next time." Sasuke states in a bored tone, as if he couldn't possibly care less about them.

"HOW DARE YOU THREATEN US?!" The Raikage thunders and slams his fist onto the table.

Gaara places a hand on his shoulder. He didn't say a word. But his implication was clear. If the Raikage fought Sasuke, he would die.

They both knew it. The red head would come to his friend's defense. But that would just lead to both of their deaths. Still Gaara would follow him to the afterlife, if the Raikage continued down this suicidal path.

"Calm down. You know it is more bluster than anything. The kid fought Madara and lived." Mei says.

"He only survived because Naruto was helping him!" The Raikage protests.

"That may be. But the Five Kages were not able to do what he and Naruto were able to. He can and will kill you. His eyes are those of a killer." The busty Kage continues.

"Go ahead and look around. Those who haven't opposed me are not unhappy." Sasuke tells them.

"You are giving us permission to inspect the village?" Mei asks in complete disbelief.

"I am. Even the prisoners are…relatively well off. None will freeze to death this winter and torture has been applied only to the particularly stupid ones." He elaborates.

 _Oh speaking of winter. That was a nice thought. He had a certain busty bluenette to sex up when he got cold this go around. Maybe he'd get the fireplace going. A bear rug could add a nice touch. Some good wine and an even better fuck. Winter was suddenly sounding a lot more appealing than it had before. He might have a new favorite season._

Mei and the Raikage take off to explore. Gaara stays behind. He looks at Sasuke questioningly.

"Uchiha." Gaara says, snapping Sasuke out of his little fantasy.

"Yes, Gaara?" He asks.

Your mind was wondering. I make no judgment, but I recommend you change to kimonos if you are going to continue to allow it to wander in public." The red head states.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asks in confusion and he genuinely had no idea what the red head was babbling about.

"…Your snake summon is out." Gaara answers vaguely.

"My snake summon? Aoda isn't here. Ohhh. Dammit." Sasuke curses the fact that the bear rug fantasy apparently affected him more than he cared to admit.

"Kazekage robes do have their benefits." He adds dryly and Sasuke noted that Gaara actually possessed a sense of humor. (Huh you learn something new everyday!)

"I suppose so." Sasuke says and couldn't believe this was actually happening.

"It is none of my concern. But should I take that to mean things are going well with you and Hinata?" He asks.

"VERY well." Sasuke answers without thinking.

Fuck! Why had he said that? Gaara wasn't a match for him in battle. But he was smart enough to use this knowledge to his advantage. It is what he would have done himself if their roles were reversed.

"Good. I'll be honest. You don't deserve her. But perhaps she will find a way to keep you from sending the Five Nations into a Civil War." He says somewhat hopefully.

"You're right. I don't. But…perhaps." Sasuke answers wryly.

"I still want to know where Naruto is." Gaara says.

"I am aware. You will not be finding out. If circumstances were different, perhaps we could have been friends. You are…smarter than these idiots." Sasuke says and leaves the Kazekage alone in the conference room.

Sasuke goes to see Kakashi. He wanted to taunt his former teacher. Taunting Kakashi was always fun.

"Back again?" Kakashi asks.

"Yes. I want you to know that Naruto is still hidden away. I have the other Kages currently here. It looks like they are not currently foolish enough to stand against me." He informs him.

"That's not why you are really here. You seem…smug. But somehow I doubt it has anything to do with the Kages." Kakashi muses.

"You're right. It doesn't." Sasuke answers vaguely.

"You are preening like a peacock." The silver haired ninja observes.

"I do not preen." Sasuke scoffs.

"Today you are. I am curious what has brought this about." He continues.

"You spoke of Hinata last time. Well much as it pains me to admit it. You were right. I do…desire her." The Uchiha says.

He didn't know why he was telling Kakashi this. Maybe he just had to tell someone and someone in a cell, who couldn't blab was as good a choice as any. Perhaps some largely forgotten bond between master and student still existed. Whatever the case, he found himself talking about something he shouldn't be talking about.

"I am never wrong about such things. You would be more wise in this area had you read Jirayia's books." He teases.

"I don't need to read that pervert's books to know how to satisfy my woman." Sasuke scoffs.

"My, my. Your woman? How…possessive of you." Kakashi taunts him.

"Yes. She's mine." Sasuke snaps.

"Hmm I wonder what could garner such a possessive tone from my most aloof student. I suppose that the two of you are now lovers." The older ninja muses.

"Yes. We are. Not that it's any of your business." Sasuke says with a scowl.

"You wanted someone to talk to about this. You wanted to brag. That's normal for a man, especially one your age. It is a bit of a relief to know that you are capable of doing something besides causing destruction. I do hope you were more gentle with her than you are with everyone else." Kakashi muses.

"Maybe a little. But I wouldn't hurt her. Not like that! " Sasuke concedes about the bragging part and found himself horrified at the implication that he'd throw Hinata around in such a way. (Of course some women liked pain during intimacy. He doubted Hinata was one of them.)

"This wouldn't be an issue if you actually made friends. You would have someone to talk about things like this with and not just a prisoner." The other man says.

"I don't need friends. I have her." Sasuke states.

"Everyone needs friends Sasuke. Though ideally one's lover is their best friend." Kakashi adds as an afterthought.

"You are impossible. You are supposed to be outraged that I stole her virtue." Sasuke scoffs. (Damn bastard was taking all the fun out of this.)

"It sounds like it was given freely." He observes.

"Oh it was." Sasuke says. (He was many things but THAT he was not.)

"Then I can't really object. Hinata is a big girl. If she wants to be your lover, that is her decision. A decision that I am genuinely puzzled by, but it is no concern of mine as long as you are not mistreating her or forcing her into it." He says with a far too cheerful smile.

"Fuck you, Kakashi." Sasuke yells at him and leaves.

Honestly, he couldn't have any fun with that ninja. Somehow he always used his mind games and turned the tables. One day he would get him though. One day he would. Sasuke was sure of this.

"I don't like it." Mei says to the Raikage.

"Neither do I. It's too organized. I expected it to be more chaotic. Fights to the death and heads mounted on pikes." He replies truthfully.

"As did I. The Academy seems…bigger than I remember." She notes.

"Yes, it does. I think there were a couple wings added to it. Most troubling if he's already working on brainwashing the next generation." The older ninja states.

"We have to find Naruto. As much as I loathe to say it, he was able to attack the Kage Summit. He's only gotten stronger since then. Naruto is the only one who could possibly defeat him. Maybe if we tried something more subtle. Poison maybe?" She asks.

"I think by now he's likely rightly paranoid. I would be shocked if he didn't have someone tasting his food and drink. Besides, his more suspicious nature means it's highly unlikely he would consume something he did not prepare himself." The Raikage considers her suggestion.

"What on earth is that?" She asks and looks at the Gauntlet.

"It seems to be some sort of obstacle course. Maybe he's killing whoever can't complete it." The other Kage theorizes.

"I wouldn't point it past him." Mei agrees.


	15. Chapter 15

Opportunity

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. I'm not sure how long I want to make this story. If you guys have anything you'd like to see thrown into the mix, feel free to leave a suggestion in the reviews or a private message. ^^ Anyway I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.

Chapter Notation: I'm revising this chapter. The fluff wasn't well received. I guess everyone wanted more drama. Well hopefully everyone sees the rewrite. Special shout to Andreia453 for always being so supportive.

Chapter 15 REVISED

"He seems to trust the large orange haired one the most." The Raikage says to Mei.

"Yes. What are you thinking we send a double?" She questions.

"Exactly. He'll find out where Naruto is located. Then we can be free of this…traitor. Naruto must surely have been reason by now. He's been the Uchiha's prisoner for months." The Raikage continues.

"I'll supply the double. This had better work. If it doesn't we may have both just signed our death warrants." The busty Kage informs him.

"I will work. It has to. I'm not going to let the ninja world fall into madness because of him." He assures her.

Once Sasuke was satisfied that the Kages had left the village, he did what any warm blooded ninja would do in his position. He headed home to see his beautiful lover.

"Adorable." He mutters when he finds Hinata, fast asleep on the bed and curled up next to Charger.

"Come here, boy." Sasuke says and waves at Charger.

Charger just looked at Sasuke like, _No. I'm not moving. I'm comfy where I am._ Sasuke smacks his forehead. A dog. He was competing against a fucking dog for cuddle time. This was embarrassing. Well…he'd just bribe the furball.

Sasuke leaves and comes back with a steak. He tosses it on the floor. Ah ha. Predictable mutt! Charger jumped off the bed and bounds right over to the food. Sasuke smirks and takes the dog's spot.

He wraps his arms around her. The last Uchiha decided she looked too peaceful sleeping to disturb. So he takes the moment to assess his lover.

"Beautiful." He says and that really was the only conclusion.

Her long blue hair was draped around her face like a waterfall. She must have fallen asleep in her Jonin uniform at some point. But even that less than flattering outfit, couldn't completely hide her womanly curves. He smiles, noting that she still wore the necklace he gave her. It was nestled between the valley of her breasts. (Lucky necklace.)

"That can not be comfortable." He murmurs to himself and starts to slide her vest off.

It was true. That vest had to be far too confining for someone who had breasts as ample as hers. But if he was really being honest with himself, he just loved the view. It didn't take long to peel it of her. Hmm blue lace today. Nice.

Hinata had been sleeping, when she felt a slight tug on her chest. Immediately her ninja instincts kicked in. She pinned her "attacker" underneath her and her Byakugan activates.

"You know, I think I could get used to this more…assertive side of you. The view from down here is quite nice." Sasuke says smugly.

"S-sasuke?" She asks in confusion.

"Yes. I'm sorry I startled you. Good reflexes though. I'm impressed." He murmurs and reaches up to play with a strand of her hair.

"Th-anks." She mumbles and blushes.

"I just thought you couldn't possibly be comfortable sleeping in your Jonin uniform." He tells her.

"Oh. I guess I just sorta fell asleep like this." She says.

Hinata then realizes that she was straddling Sasuke's lap and she was only wearing her pants and bra. She blushes as red as a tomato.

"You still blush like an innocent." Sasuke murmurs.

Hinata didn't know what to say to that. Sasuke seemed to have decided that a response wasn't required. He flips them with ease. In less time than it took to bat an eyelash, Sasuke had curled onto his side and pulled Hinata against him.

"Go back to sleep. I didn't mean to wake you." He murmurs.

"Alright." She stammers.

Sasuke slides his hand over her neck. Her pulse was racing. Either he had startled the Hell out of her or she was still scared of him at least on some level.

"Relax." He says and glides his hand along her hip.

"That feels nice." She mumbles.

"Good. This is nice." Sasuke says and kisses her neck.

"What is?" Hinata asks.

"Having someone to come home to. Even if I have to fight the damn dog to be with you." He murmurs and lightly bites her neck.

"I thought you liked Charger." Hinata comments and tries to hide her blush at the implication of what he'd just said.

"I do. He's a good dog. He helped me in that ambush. I can't blame him for wanting to be by your side. If he wants to lay with you while I'm away, that's fine. But I'm not sharing the bed while I'm here." Sasuke says and clearly was putting his foot down.

"Well that's settled then." Hinata laughs.

"Yes. Yes, it is." Sasuke agrees.

"Um Sasuke, by the way…" Hinata trails off.

"What is it?" He asks.

"Is Charger fixed? I saw him chasing this pretty white dog around. I think it's a female." The Hyuga asks.

"I'm not sure. I didn't exactly check." Sasuke says with a shrug.

"Well I think Asa would probably love a puppy." She mumbles.

"Puppies more like. Rarely do dogs have one pup a litter. But yeah, you're right." He replies.

"How'd it go today?" She dares herself to ask.

"Better than expected. Though I doubt Gaara is ever going to let me live it down." The Uchiha responds.

"Live what down?" She questions.

"The fact that after the meeting my "Snake Summon" was visible." He answers.

"Your Snake Summon? What's that got to do with anything? Why would Gaara tease you about that? That's a really big snake. Definitely not something to laugh at." She responds in confusion.

"Not THAT Snake Summon. The OTHER one." Sasuke couldn't help but laugh and grabs Hinata's hand, guiding it south enough that she could see EXACTLY what he meant by Snake Summon.

"Ohhh. Well it's still a really big snake." She replies.

"Mhm. Gaara seemed to get a kick out of it anyway." Sasuke says and kisses her.

Hinata kisses back and smiles. Somehow this seemed so normal. He was actually joking around. Granted, most people didn't joke about getting an erection with a Kage present. But for Sasuke this was likely progress. He was laughing and relaxed, affectionate. It was such a completely different picture than the one he presented to the outside world.

Meanwhile the body double of Jugo enters the village. He had been given a profile about the Criminal Ninja earlier that day and had memorized it. He was a speed reader.

This should be simple enough. Sasuke had been ruling over the Leaf for awhile now. Just long enough that he hoped the deadly ninja's guard was starting to slip. He'd grow cocky. He could work with cocky.

"I wonder where he went off to." He murmurs as he looks around.

He hadn't seen hide nor hair of the Uchiha for hours. This was getting ridiculous. Maybe he should try speaking to Sasuke's former teammates. They might know where he is.

"Suigetsu, do you know where Sasuke is? I've been looking for him all morning. I wanted to tell him about the Gauntlet results." He asks the white haired ninja.

"My guess is he's probably at home. He's probably busy banging that pretty blue haired chick. I can't blame him. God knows if anyone needs to get laid, it's definitely him." The violet eyed ninja informs him.

"Thank you." He says and quickly heads to Sasuke's house.

 _He's probably busy banging that pretty blue haired chick._ Ah so the Uchiha had taken a lover. That was interesting and so unexpected given what he knew of the man. Kuzo wasn't sure if this could somehow make it easier for him to find out where Naruto was or not. Would Sasuke have told his lover where he was keeping the missing Hokage?

Meanwhile, Iruka decides to visit Kakashi. Sasuke was pleased by the Academy's progress and apparently didn't consider the Chunin enough of a threat to prevent him from visiting an old friend. He didn't know whether to be insulted or relieved by this informal evaluation. But it didn't matter. He had to make sure the silver haired ninja was okay.

"Kakashi." Iruka says.

"Iruka. You came to visit me. That's kind of you. Sorry that I can't exactly play the part of a good host." Kakashi chuckles.

"Well you are still making wise cracks. I guess that's a good sign. But seriously how are you?" He asks.

"Compared to what could have happened to me, I'm fine. I'm not being starved or beaten. I would like to have more than a six foot cell to move around in and the décor is positively gloomy. But other than that…" He trails off.

"Odd that he hasn't tortured you. I would have thought that would be one of the first things he would do." Iruka muses.

"He prefers to try to rile me. The poor boy actually thinks he can out mindfuck me." The Copycat Ninja laughs.

"Have I ever told you that you have a very unusual way of bonding with your students?" Iruka questions.

"No. I don't believe so. They were my first team. No one else passed the bell test. Anyway…" He says.

"What is he trying to taunt you with?" The brown haired man inquires.

"Mostly that he took over the village. But recently, well I'm not sure if I should tell you that. I should respect her privacy, if not his." He chuckles.

"Her privacy? Are you trying to tell me that he took a lover?" Iruka blinks and tries to process that information. (It was so unlike Sasuke to seek out anyone's company for anything other than gaining more power.)

"It seems so. He might be a Ninja God. But he's still a man. There are certain things that any man is going to do. One of them is tell someone after their first time. He just couldn't resist trying to taunt me. Funny in a way. Though honestly, I didn't see the choice in partner coming." The ninja muses.

"Well…now I have to know. I don't need to know any details. But I am curious. Who is the woman? Wait it is a woman right? Not that I care if someone prefers the same gender. I've certainly seen stranger things." Iruka adds in a rush.

"Yes, the fact that I said her privacy does indicate it's a woman. Hinata. Honestly, I have no idea how that works. But he seems…calmer than usual. So it must somehow. Despite everything he's done, I do not see him as the type that would force her into such a relationship against her will. He says it's consensual. I find myself believing him in this instance." Kakashi elaborates.

"HINATA?!" Iruka cries out in shock.

"Yes, a most unusual match." Kakashi agrees.

"Him being gay would have been more believable. Sheesh." The teacher marvels.

"Being gay would have made restoring his clan quite difficult." The Copycat Ninja offers.

"That's true. I am glad that you are not suffering too horribly." He tells his friend.

"I am as well." Kakashi agrees.

A few weeks go by. Sasuke's life settles into a pattern that he was growing to adore. During the day he would check on the village. He'd squash any pathetic attempts at a revolt and make certain that things were on schedule.

He liked the challenge of this. Sasuke would impose unofficial goals in his mind such as having a new Academy wing constructed by this date or this many ninjas able to use medical jutsus by this one. Then he would go home to Hinata. (Who spent most of her day training or helping out at the hospital.)

He had meant what he said before. It was nice having someone to come home to. The fact that someone was an adorable sex kitten that was even better. Hinata was still shy in her own way. The bluenette had never really initiated anything more suggestive than kissing or embracing. But she always responded to his advances.

Sasuke was pleased to discover that once given a sufficient push that she was very skilled with coming up with seductive phrases in the bedroom. Or whatever room they were having sex in. Sasuke was very flexible as far as locations went. Bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, study, laundry room, etc didn't matter to him. Any place was fine when you had such a superb partner.

"It looks like we have our answer about whether or not Charger is fixed." Sasuke says dryly as he notices the giant dog "escorting" a pregnant dog around.

Honestly, if he didn't know better he would think Charger was actually giving a tour. That was ridiculous. He wasn't a ninja dog. There was no way that he was actually doing that. He briefly pondered the possibility of a litter of white Akitas in the near future.

"I guess so." Hinata laughs.

"I bet Asa is happy." Sasuke adds.

"Oh you have no idea. She's very excited about it. She's told all her classmates." Hinata informs him.

"I have to leave the Leaf for a week to speak with the Samurai. They can't use jutsus but they are excellent at combat. They could provide useful fodder if it comes to a war." He says.

"Sasuke, don't talk about people like that. People are not fodder." She snaps at him.

"Some of them are. It's the way of the world. You don't think that the other Kage are just going to continue to let me run the Leaf without attacking sooner or later, do you?" He asks her.

"Well no." She answers.

"Then you know I'm right. I'll be back soon. I'd ask you to come with me. But I need someone here. Someone I can trust." He tells her.

"Alright. I'll stay." She mumbles.

"Good." He says and kisses her forehead.

A few days later, Sasuke was preparing to leave for the Land of Iron. He knew that someone would have to watch the loser. Jugo was a natural choice. Well Jugo and Karin, in case he had one of his episodes.

"Here are the keys. Make sure no one sees where you are going. Just make sure the idiot doesn't die while I'm away. He's too valuable to let die over something stupid." Sasuke informs them.

"Of course." Karin and Jugo agree.

Yes! Finally, he would be able to see where the Hokage was being kept. Then he could free him. Naruto would deal with Sasuke and all would be well.

Sasuke leaves satisfied that everything would run smoothly in his absence. He knew that Hinata wouldn't let him down and he had grown if not fond of his team, to trust their skills at least.

It was a long trek to the Land of Iron but he makes it there in one piece. The guards were understandably skittish. The last time he had interacted with Samurai hadn't gone so well…for the Samurai.

"Uchiha. I have to admit that I was surprised when you requested an audience. But given that you played such a large role in toppling Madara, I am willing to hear you out." Their leader says.

"Thank you. I have taken over the Leaf Village. I know that the ties between the Leaf and Land of Iron have been almost nonexistent. But I believe that an alliance would be beneficial. It would be a boon to both our sides economically and militarily." He says.

"And what would you have to offer us that would be worth risking the ire of the other Great Ninja Nations?" He asks amused.

"Diamonds." He answers.

"Diamonds?" The Samurai leader asks skeptically.

"The Leaf is full of them if you know where to look. Most don't. Diamonds are the hardest substance known to man. They would make excellent weapons. Not to mention their monetary value." Sasuke explains.

"Hmm it is an intriguing offer. I will have to think upon it." He replies.

"Of course." Sasuke says with a nod.

Hinata walks around the village. She feels her face heat up in a blush. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but people were definitely whispering about her. It wasn't hard to figure out what the topic of their conversation was. Clearly the rest of the village had figured out that she was Sasuke's lover.

Sakura races over to Hinata. Dammit. This was going to be awkward. If everyone else knew, then Sakura definitely did.

"Hinata, is it true what they are saying about you and Sasuke?" She asks.

"Wh-at are they saying?" She turns the question around.

"That you two are…together." The pinkette answers.

"Yes." Hinata answers and bites her lower lip.

"So that's why you didn't want me to poison him." She says accusingly.

"Sakura, poisoning him wouldn't have worked. We both know he's not dumb enough to fall for that. But…yes." She admits.

"I can't believe you would do that! You were in love with Naruto and now you are sleeping with the man who kidnapped him?!" The medic just couldn't believe it.

"It's not like that. It just…kinda happened. It's not like I planned on it to. He's…different when we are alone." She says.

"Hinata, the man took over the Leaf Village. You saw him murder twelve people in cold blood. He almost murdered ME. He's not who he used to be. Maybe a long time ago, there might have been a chance that he could have been saved. But that time is long gone now. Did it ever occur to you that he's just being nice to you in private to seduce you? He probably just wants to get you pregnant to see if the Byakugan and Sharingan would create a new, more powerful bloodline." Sakura tells her.

SMACK! Hinata didn't know what came over her. She just got so angry. Logically, she knew that the pink haired woman had a point. But she just snapped.

"You know NOTHING about him. You just chased after him because you thought he was cute. You never tried to actually understand him. He's different with me because I actually listen!" She finds herself screaming at Sakura.

"You hit me!" Sakura cries out in shock, holding her cheek.

"You basically said he was using me to breed super babies!" Hinata shoots back.

"He probably is! He's never even looked at you before all this happened. He never looked at anyone. Hinata, I know you want to see the best in people. I get that. I really do. But there's nothing good left in him. INO HELP ME. There's something wrong with Hinata!" Sakura yells.

Ino blinks and comes running. She had been hearing strange things around the village. The village seemed convinced that Hinata and Sasuke were now lovers. She didn't believe it herself. Hinata was way too innocent to be sleeping with an S Class Criminal.

"What's wrong? What happened to your face?" Ino asks.

"Sasuke brainwashed Hinata. Hinata hit me. It's okay though. I've had worse. We have to fix her before he gets back." She says.

"Hinata?" Ino asks uncertainly.

"I'm not brainwashed!" Hinata protests.

"It's either that or Stockholm Syndrome." Sakura says.

"You probably should get checked out just to be on the safe side." Ino offers.

"I'm fine! I know it's hard to believe. But it's the truth." She argues.

Meanwhile, the Jugo imposter gets behind Karin when they go to check on Naruto. He easily knocks her out. That was easy, too easy really. Well the girl clearly wasn't a combat ninja type.

"Lord Hokage, it is alright. I am here to help you." He undoes his bindings.

"Wait…why? I thought you were working for Sasuke?" The blonde questions in confusion.

"This is merely a disguise." The man says and reverts to his true form.

He was about 6 feet tall with long dark green hair and chocolate brown eyes. He had a Cloud Ninja uniform on. Oh yeah, that definitely wasn't Jugo.

"Thanks. But my chakra won't come back for a few days at least." Naruto warns him.

"Sasuke will be gone for awhile. He's going to speak with the Samurai in the Land of Iron. When he returns, you must be ready for him." He says.

"Oh I'll be ready. I have a few things to say to that bastard." Naruto growls.


	16. Chapter 16

Opportunity

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews guys. One reviewer expressed concerns about character bashing. I didn't intend for it to come off that way. So if it starts to go overboard, let me know. Anyway, I'm still conflicted about what to do with Naruto. There is going to be a fight. But let me guys know if you have an opinion about whether Naruto should live or die? Should Sasuke be able to get the blonde to shift more towards his way of thinking or perhaps Naruto would emerge victorious but they become co-hokages or something.

Chapter Sixteen

 _He missed her._ Sasuke had admitted to himself that despite all logic, he was in love with Hinata. But he didn't expect that being away from her for a week would be like this. When did he become such a sap? This was embarrassing. He was an Uchiha. Uchihas did not pine for their lovers.

It wasn't just about the sex. The sex he missed. He missed A LOT. Having only a pillow for company at night was far from ideal. But that wasn't it. He couldn't delude himself into thinking he merely missed her touch. Sasuke was never a good liar, not even to himself.

He missed HER. He missed her smile, her laugh, her scent, her understanding eyes, her soothing demeanor, and even the way she played with the damn dog. Sasuke was frankly more than a little disturbed by how intense his longing was. He hadn't needed anyone for years.

It was ironic. He had spent years trying to cut all his bonds with everyone that had ever cared about him. Naruto had chased him all across the Five Nations trying to keep their bond intact. But Hinata, without even trying had established a far stronger bond than the blonde had ever been able to achieve with him.

"Well at least I can head back home tomorrow." He mutters to himself as he settles down for the night.

Meanwhile, back in the Leaf utter chaos had erupted. Naruto was free and he didn't waste any time announcing that fact. The blonde Hokage was in the village square.

"I'm back!" He thundered out.

Every eye in the village square was suddenly on him. Startled gasps were heard. Some people actually sank to their knees in relief. Still others looked conflicted. There were even some who looked well…less than happy about this development.

"NARUTO!" Sakura says and races over, rushing to tackle him with a crushing bear hug. (Seriously, if Naruto wasn't a ninja, he probably would be in the ICU by now.)

"Whoa, easy there Sakura. So I heard the bastard left the village again?" He asks.

"Land of Iron. Not sure when he'll be back exactly. We need to get ready. This isn't going to be pretty." She says.

"Right. Well…better be ready for him. I'll just have to beat some sense into him. I did it before. I can do it again." He assures her.

"What if he's not the one that needs sense beaten into him?" One of the ninjas in the crowd asks.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asks.

"While you were things became more organized. The Leaf has grown complacent. There's not a ninja here who hasn't improved from the training regime he insisted on. The hospital is better. It can actually survive an attack now. The Academy is bigger." He goes on.

"Well it's good that the bastard actually did some useful things. But come on. You gotta admit his worldview has gotten pretty twisted." The blonde says rubbing the back of his head and quite honestly he couldn't believe he was actually having this conversation.

"He actually led a successful attack on the Stone Village." Another says in another attempt to defend Sasuke.

"WAIT HE ATTACKED AN ALLIED VILLAGE?!" Naruto thunders in absolute outrage at hearing this news.

"Yes and he killed the Stone Kage." She replies.

"He's lost his mind. He's absolutely lost it." Naruto looks at Sakura helplessly.

"SHUT UP! Our real Hokage is back! Stop defending the traitor." A Leaf Jonin yells at the other two.

"You shut up! He was dumb enough to get tricked. Maybe we need a smarter leader instead of a nicer one!" The other roars back.

"This is an outrage! How dare you insult Naruto? Without him, we never would have survived the war." Yet another ninja cries out.

"Fuck. This is bad." Naruto says to Sakura.

"Really bad. I didn't think that there would actually be two factions." She agrees.

"What should we do?" Naruto questions.

"Well he's even got some native Leaf Villagers on his side. These are still our comrades. We can't just start killing them. That wouldn't make us any better than him." The medic replies warily.

"I'm not sure they feel the same way." Naruto tells her.

"There are also the ninjas from other villages to consider. They were naturally loyal to Sasuke. I think we might actually be outnumbered." She warns him.

It wasn't clear who threw the first punch. But a loud SMACK was hard. That's when things went down hill and fast. Suddenly all the ninjas leapt into action. The only problem was it was difficult to tell who was on Sasuke's side and who was on Naruto's side.

After a few minutes, the ninjas seemed to figure that out. The Sasuke supporters threw their head bands to the ground in a show of defiance. Now that everyone could tell who was who the fighting started right back up again.

"Oh yeah. We are definitely outnumbered." Naruto says as he took an informal estimate.

It looked like about 2/3rds of the crowd had thrown down their head band. A large chunk of them were what Naruto dubbed _The Wanderers._ They were from all over the world. Most were Criminal Ninjas. Some were nomads. Others were just random people that Sasuke found along the way, who were eager to find a place to settle. But even the majority of native Leaf Villagers were still wearing their headbands, enough of them had tossed them that combined with the Wanderers, they outnumbered his supporters.

"STOP IT!" Hinata screams out.

She had screamed it out in such a loud way that everyone was shocked enough that for a few seconds, the jutsus and fists stopped flying. Hinata blinks. Wow, she hadn't actually expected that to work.

"That's better. Everyone stop fighting. Sasuke will be back soon. Naruto and Sasuke can talk. We can work this out." She tries to reason with the bloodthirsty crowd.

"Good. He can deal with this soft Hokage." One of the Wanderers says.

"Lord Hokage can deal with the fucking traitor!" A Leaf Village growls.

"Well that's settled…for now." Naruto mutters.

The Sasuke and Naruto camps were sufficiently disgusted by each other, that they self-segregated. Sasuke supporters stayed on one side of the village. The Naruto supporters on another. Yeah this was going to be a major pain in the ass, Naruto concluded.

"Thanks Hinata." Naruto says and walks over to her.

"I couldn't let them all just kill each other. Are you alright?" She asks.

"Careful. She's…not exactly herself." Sakura warns.

"I'm myself!" Hinata snaps at her.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asks.

"She and Sasuke…" Sakura trails off and let's Naruto's imagination fill in the blanks.

"Ohhh. Wait really?" Naruto asks blinking.

"Yes." Hinata mumbles and blushes deeply.

"I guess that explains that crack he made about seeing you in your lingerie." Naruto muses.

"Naruto, Kakashi is being held prisoner in one of the cells. We better get him out of there." Sakura adds.

"Oh right! Yeah, let's go save Kakashi Sensei's ass! Boy am I going to be glad to see him." The blonde heads to the prison.

Meanwhile back in the Sand, Gaara receives word of the Raikage and Mei's plan. So they had sent a spy to free Naruto. He wondered if it would work. He wasn't sure. But he knew that if the Uchiha found out about it, it'd be a bloodbath.

It was a three day trek to the Leaf under normal circumstances. If he pushed, he might be able to make it in a day and a half. Gaara sets off with all haste in order to prevent what might very well become a massacre.

"I just hope that I'm not too late." He mutters as he takes off.

Sasuke wakes the next morning and stretches. The talks with the Samurai had gone better than expected. The last Uchiha had signed the papers the previous night formalizing the alliance.

The Samurai cared little about the internal politics of the Leaf. If Sasuke could overthrow Naruto, then he wasn't the Hokage anymore. To them it really was that simple. He had lost a "battle" and been replaced. The Samurai were such a practical people, Sasuke mused.

Sasuke summons Aoda. He wanted to get home quickly. He really was becoming such a sap. But he couldn't deny he was eager to get home to his Hyuga Princess. Aoda was such a fast snake summon. He'd probably be home before nightfall if the snake went all out.

"Back to the Leaf Village." He tells Aoda.

"Yes, Master Sasuke." The giant serpent replies and starts off.

"Full speed ahead. I want to get there as soon as possible." He informs the snake.

"Of course." He hisses and starts barreling towards the Leaf at a breakneck pace.

Hinata faced a difficult decision. The lines had clearly been drawn. She could stay on the "Sasuke Side" or the "Naruto Side." There really was no middle ground. The village might as well have drawn an actual red line. Things were tense. The slightest thing could set off the powder keg.

She felt sick. She felt sick to her stomach. She felt like she was going to vomit. Choosing between her lover and the man she admired was a horrible decision to be forced to make. That's when she realized she didn't just feel like she was going to vomit, she actually was.

"HINATA!" Naruto says, stopping what he was doing, and doubles back to help Hinata.

Hinata puts her hand up. It was a simple gesture that said, _Stay back. I'm not done. I might get sick on you._ Naruto wisely stays back and let's her finish emptying the contents of her stomach.

"Are you okay?" He asks.

"Y-eah I think so. It's just the stress of this situ-ation. I think I need to go lay down." She tells him.

"Yeah. You probably should. You've definitely earned it. I think you might have just stopped a Civil War." Naruto smiles kindly at her.

"Thanks. You should help Kakashi. I'll see you later. I hope this can all be sorted out." She mumbles.

"Alright. If you are sure." He says and heads to help Kakashi.

"I'm sure." She mutters to his retreating form and heads back to Sasuke's house.

Hinata wasn't an idiot. She never got sick. The bluenette mentally kicks herself. She and Sasuke had never used the Jutsu or any other forms of contraception.

It wasn't a conscious choice either of them had made. (Well at least not on her part anyway.) But it didn't matter. She knew what she was experiencing wasn't from the stress or the flu. It was Morning Sickness.

Her decision was made for her. She was carrying Sasuke's child. As much as she admired Naruto, she couldn't actually stand against him if it came down to a fight. Naruto was her friend. He was a wonderful friend. But he wasn't the father of her child.

"KAKASHI SENSEI!" Naruto cries out happily when he enters the prison.

"Naruto! You're free." Kakashi says.

"Yeah. Guess the Raikage and Mei sent someone undercover to get me out. It worked. Let's get you out of those chains." Naruto says and he frees his former teacher.

"Where's Sasuke?" The Copycat Ninja asks.

"Sakura says he's in the Land of Iron. He's trying to form some weird alliance with the Samurai. He's a crazy like a fox. You gotta give him that. Are you okay?" The blonde asks in concern.

"Yes, I'm fine. I got lucky. Sasuke was more interested in trying to taunt me than torturing me. Where's Hinata?" The silver haired man questions.

"She's resting. Hinata got so stressed out by all this that she actually threw up. You should have seen he thought. She was amazing, Kakashi Sensei. Without her, I think a Civil War would have erupted. Some of the ninjas are backing me and some are backing the bastard." Naruto explains.

"This won't end well." Kakashi sighs.

Naruto might not get it. But Kakashi thought he did. He highly doubted that it was just stress. He was aware that Hinata and Sasuke had been intimate. Likely more than once. It was possible that she was pregnant but just wasn't showing yet.

Meanwhile, Hinata sighs and lays on "her bed." It was actually Sasuke's grandmother's bed. But she had been using it for so long, that she started to think of the room as hers. Charger seemed to sense her distress because the giant dog bounds over and soon lays at her side.

"Good boy." She mumbles and pets him.

The white fluffy dog that Charger had bonded with, trots in, with some puppies following her. Hinata smiles. The puppies were absolutely adorable. She wondered if her child would be a boy or a girl? Maybe both. Twins ran in her family.

"Do you think it would matter to him if it was a boy or girl?" She asks Charger.

She didn't know why she was asking the dog. It wasn't like he was actually going to respond. But she supposed it made her feel less lonely, just to hear the sound of someone talking. It didn't matter that it was her own voice that she was hearing.

Sasuke arrives in the Leaf. He looks around. Something was off. Something was very off. The entire atmosphere of the Leaf felt too tense.

Granted it had been tense since he took over the village. That was to be expected. But things had started to settle down. He was beginning to think that even the most loyal supporters of Naruto were realizing that their blonde Hokage wasn't going to come out of nowhere and save the day this time.

He approaches one of the Criminal Ninjas he had brought with him to the Leaf during the takeover. Sasuke considered this one to be trustworthy. Well as trustworthy as a Criminal Ninja ever got.

"What's going on?" He demands.

"Naruto got free somehow. He's back. It almost came to a brawl but Hinata stopped the fight. The entire village has chosen sides. Those without headbands are swearing loyalty to you. Those with them are backing Naruto." He explains.

"Dammit. How the fuck did he get out?" Sasuke growls to himself as much as the other man.

"I don't know. But he's out. He'll be waiting for you." The other man warns him.

"Good to know. Where the Hell is he? Where is Hinata now?" He questions.

"He went to free Kakashi. Hinata seems to have retreated to your home. She is ill." The criminal informs him.

"She's sick?" Sasuke asks.

"Looks like it. She was throwing up quite a bit earlier. But I'm sure she'll be fine. She's a ninja. She's strong. It's going to take more than the flu to take out a Hyuga." He assures Sasuke.

"Thank you." He says and races towards the house.

He'd deal with the loser later. The fact that fighting wasn't currently breaking out in the streets assured him that things were stable at least for now. He had to make sure that Hinata was okay. Then he'd deal with the loser. He should have known Naruto would find a way to get out. The idiot always did. He really had an annoying habit of always trying to save the day.

"Asa? Do you know where Hinata is?" He asks when he gets inside and sees the girl.

"She's in her room. I think she's sick. The Hokage is back. Are we going to die?" She asks.

"No. We are not going to die." He tells her.

"But he's probably really mad about everything." She says.

"More than likely. But I'll handle the loser. Don't worry." He assures her and heads to Hinata's room.

It was strange. He thought of it as Hinata's room now. He no longer really thought about it as his grandmother's. That's just how permanent of a fixture the Hyuga now was in his life.

"Hinata?" He calls out as he knocks on the door.

"It's okay. I'm in here." She calls out, hearing Sasuke's voice.

"Good." He says and opens the door, heading inside.

"You alright? I heard the loser got out somehow and that you were sick." He says and glides over to her.

"Yes, he's out. Please try to talk to him. This doesn't have to end in tragedy. It can be fixed." She pleads.

"Hinata, Naruto is Naruto. The reality of the world will never penetrate his extremely thick skull. I can try to talk to him, but it's useless." He tells her.

"Please. For me?" She asks.

"Only for you." He sighs and pulls her against him.

Sasuke felt her forehead. Hmm she didn't feel warm. So he dismissed the possibility it was the flu. She looked fine. But he doubted the Criminal Ninja was just going to pretend that she had been vomiting all over the place for giggles. That seemed unlikely.

"Hinata, what's wrong? He said you were sick. You feel fine to me." Sasuke says.

"I'm not sick." She tells him.

"Good. I don't want to lose you." He tells her.

"You won't." She promises.

"I guess I should probably go try to talk to the idiot now. Hinata, I want you to go to the orphanage. It's probably the safest place. If it comes to a battle, which it probably will… I want to know that you are safe." He tells her.

"It won't come to that." She decrees.

"Yes, it will. But I admire your endless optimism…even if it isn't realistic." He chuckles and kisses her forehead.

"You are just pessimistic by nature." She informs him.

"I don't know if it's a natural. But I won't deny that I see the glass as half empty. Well I did until us. I'll go see him. Just get to the orphanage first. Take Asa and the dogs with you." He adds.

"Alright. I will." She says and heads off with Asa and the dogs.

Sasuke sighs. He should have seen this one coming. Well he promised Hinata that he would try to talk some sense into the loser. The last Uchiha smirks to himself. He didn't say how hard or how long he'd try though. Which was a good thing, because knowing Naruto it was going to come to blows and quickly.

He heads off to find Naruto. It didn't take long to find him. He'd already gone to the Hokage Tower. Typical.

"Loser. I see someone let you out." Sasuke mutters.

"Bastard! How could you do all this?!" Naruto thunders at him.

"I did it to create a better world. The Leaf is stronger because of me. No one has to suffer in my world like Itachi did. Your naïve view of the world is an illusion. It comes at a heavy price. Those that live in the shadows suffer to maintain it. And I'm tired of it!" Sasuke growls, his Sharingan activating.

"I promised Hinata that I would try to talk some sense into you." The blonde says.

"Funny, I made a similar promise to her." Sasuke says and glares at him.

"So is what Sakura said true. You and Hinata?" He asks.

"Yes. It's true. It's none of your business. But it's true." Sauke glowers at the blonde.

"Maybe I won't have to kick your ass too badly. If you are capable of love, you might be able to see reason." Naruto murmurs.

"As if you could kick my ass. You've been sitting idle for weeks. Your chakra network probably still hasn't fully come online. Your reflexes will be rusty. I have the advantage here. And I intend to use it. Unless you agree that may way is better. Then I don't mind letting you be. In fact, having you standing by my side would help. I have most of the village on my side. But there are still those who are loyal to you and your delusional way of thinking." Sasuke muses.

"It's not delusional!" Naruto snaps.

"Yes, it is." Sasuke replies.

"I guess we'll just have to settle this like we always do. Fighting." Naruto states.

"Sounds good to me." Sasuke says and charges at the other man.

"RASEGAN!" Naruto shouts.

"CHIDORI!" Sasuke bellows.


	17. Chapter 17

Opportunity

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. Well good news for Naruto. No one wants you dead, lol. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Please remember all my stories have happy endings.

 **Bonus:** Not sure who would be interested, but I posted a new story called _**The Color Red**_ it's a female Gaara x Sasuke. For those that are exclusively Hinata x Sasuke fans, there are a couple of other ones are that on going and I'll probably have a new one of them up soon.

Chapter Notation: I'm not really good at action/fight scenes. I tried to put one here. I'm not sure how good it turned out. Like one of my reviewers said, I'm better at Romance/Humor than Drama. But we'll see. I expect at least one more chapter, maybe a couple more before this story is over. Enjoy.

Chapter 17

The battle was vicious. Naruto would always be Naruto. He would soldier on. It was really annoying to Sasuke.

He'd do anything to protect his friends, logic be damned. The fact that his chakra and body hadn't been used for weeks and that he could very well get himself killed by overdoing it, didn't seem to matter to the blonde.

Sasuke had always marveled at the fact that somehow Naruto hadn't gotten himself killed in battle yet. Sometimes he wondered if maybe Kyubbi was actually a cat. Naruto might actually have nine lives. It was explain a lot.

"Dammit bastard!" Naruto growls as he dodges the Chidori.

"Why won't you just give up?!" Sasuke snarls and narrowly avoids a sneak attack from one of Naruto's clones.

"Because that's not my ninja way!" He roars out and charges at his friend with a flurry of kicks and punches.

"It's your funeral!" Sasuke growls out and summons Aoda.

Naruto counters by summoning his giant toad. The two summons clash, just as their masters did. The very ground beneath their feet was shaking with the force of the titans going against each other.

PUNCH. SMACK. BAM. CRUCH. The sounds of battle are heard. Bones were being crushed. Flesh was being pummeled until it swelled up in ugly bruises.

"Amaterasu!" Sasuke cries out and the black flames spring forth.

"Bastard!" Naruto says and is forced to fall back to avoid the flames, creating a chakra cloak.

Those flames could burn through anything, except chakra or materials infused with them. The blonde looks around frantically for his friend turned opponent. Damn him! Where did he go?!

"OVER HERE!" Sasuke roars and slams his fist into Naruto's back.

Naruto grunts in pain. He forms hundreds of clones. No clone was going to last long against Sasuke. But it would buy him some time and hopefully begin to wear him out. He needed to activate Sage Mode.

Sasuke slams into the clones. He was a flurry of kicks and punches. One by one he "popped" them. He needed to get to the real Naruto. The loser was planning something.

"There you are." He says lunges at Naruto with his sword.

Naruto manages to dodge the blade and grabs it by the hand. He yanks HARD and uses the momentum to send the last Uchiha flying into a tree. Sasuke was a bit dazed from that one. His leg hit the fucking tree. He didn't think it was broken. But it was enough to slow him down. Dammit.

He rises to his feet. Sasuke knew he had to end this. He had to end it quickly. He forms another Chidori and charges at the blonde with all his might. He'd make it quick.

Meanwhile in the orphanage, Hinata makes sure Asa and the dogs were safe. She bites her lower lip. Sasuke had promised he'd try. But he didn't say how hard. Judging by the "earthquake" she felt under her feet, the whole talking thing hadn't panned out.

"Asa, stay here with Charger and the other children. You'll be safe here." She says and takes off.

By the time Hinata got there, both ninjas had received several injuries. It looked like bones had been broken, in Naruto's case an eye swollen shut, blood had been split, and Sasuke seemed to be favoring his left leg. So she concluded he'd probably taken a hit to his right one. This was bad. This was very bad. If this kept up, someone was going to wind up dead.

She had to do something! She couldn't just let the father of her child and one of her best friends kill each other! The bluenette races onto the battlefield in a desperate bid to stop them.

Sasuke and Naruto had both been about to hit each other with another Chidori/Rasengan. Hinata getting between them though, made both pull their attacks back for the moment.

"Hinata! I told you to stay hidden." Sasuke snaps.

Naruto blinks. The bastard told Hinata to stay hidden. He actually cared whether or not she got caught in the crossfire. He hadn't seen that one coming. Sasuke was really worried about her.

That meant he cared. The bastard was still capable of caring about someone? Maybe there was still some of the old bastard left inside him. A small sliver of light in all that darkness.

"I'm not going to let you kill each other!" She snaps right back at him.

"Kitten, I'm not joking. Get out of here before you get hurt." He snarls at her.

"Kitten? Wait did Sasuke seriously just say the word kitten?" Naruto asks utterly baffled.

"LOSER JUST SHUT UP!" Sasuke growls.

"It's what he calls me when we are alone." Hinata mumbles.

"Well I guess I can see it. I mean you are cute like a kitten. But I didn't expect the bastard to be the type to give out a pet name." Naruto muses and laughs because it was just so damn funny to hear Sasuke say something like that.

"Idiot. That is not the point." Sasuke mutters.

"Right. The point is you were being a bastardly backstabber. You knocked me out when my back was turned, kept me held hostage for weeks, and in general are being a bastard!" The blonde says.

"I did it for the good of the village. Do you know what actually goes on in this village from the shadows? I'm not going to allow another person to die for this village like Itachi did. To be branded a traitor when they are saving this miserable place." Sasuke roars at him.

"Itachi made his choice! He did it willingly. He wanted to save you! He wanted to prevent a war. And how do you honor his sacrifice? By going against everything he believed in!" Naruto roars right back at Sasuke.

"Even you Naruto. You have the Nine Tailed Fox inside you. You keep this village safe by hosting it. But how did they thank you in the beginning? They turned you into a pariah. When you got older and stronger, they relied on you time and time again to save their asses. They are hypocrites." Sasuke states in righteous fury and clearly wasn't going to be reasoned with.

"I think that's the most I've ever heard you speak in one go before." Naruto chuckles darkly.

"Do you see what I have to deal with Hinata?" Sasuke asks with a sigh.

"As much as it pains me to admit it, he has a point Naruto. That was what you got out of that speech?" A raspy voice asks.

"GAARA! When did you get here?" Naruto asks.

"A few minutes ago. I was going to step in and break up the fight, but it looks like Hinata already did." The Kazekage says, trying to keep the panting out of his voice. (It was a LONG journey from the Sand to the Leaf and he had all out in hopes of preventing a bloodbath.)

"For now. Hinata get out of the line of fire." Sasuke warns her.

"I'm not moving." Hinata tells him.

"Even if you beat Naruto, do you think the rest of the ninja world is going go along with it? That supporters aren't going to try to get revenge? You might be okay with that. You're strong. You're smart. You're willing to gamble with your life. But our baby isn't!" Hinata says.

"No. That's why I went to the Land of Iron and I got so many people to come with me before coming back. I built networks of support all over while I was away. I didn't go into this without a plan. Wait…our baby?" He blinks and asks, not sure if he had heard her right.

"What baby?" Naruto asks Gaara in confusion.

"She's pregnant." Gaara mutters.

"No way." The blonde says.

Gaara wasn't sure. Was Hinata actually pregnant or was this a clever ruse? Very few things would stop the Uchiha on a rampage. Impending fatherhood might be one of them.

"Seems like it's a real possibility judging by the fact it froze him in his tracks." Gaara murmurs.

"You really think so?" The blonde asks.

"You didn't see the Snake Summon." Gaara says dryly.

"What are you talking about? Aoda is right over there!" Naruto points to the giant snake.

"Not that one. The OTHER one." The red head says.

"What other summon?" Naruto asks.

"Nevermind" Gaara says with a sigh.

"Are you really?" Sasuke asks, ignoring Naruto and Gaara at this point.

"I think so. I never get sick and…" She trails off.

Sasuke knew exactly what she was trying to say. They hadn't been using protection. He wanted a family. But it wasn't like he was trying to get her pregnant now. He just…had low self control when it came to Hinata. Very low.

If she was pregnant though, that made things complicated. He didn't mind dealing with the fallout from wrestling control of the Leaf from Naruto. He could handle it. He could keep Hinata safe during it. He was sure of that. But a baby was easy target.

"If I let him live, I've still made a lot of enemies." Sasuke tells her.

"LET ME LIVE? Get your ass over here bastard. I'll kick your ass. Let me live, ha! I could kick your ass, believe it." Naruto says.

"Naruto, you've already been using a lot of chakra when your chakra network has been dormant for weeks. It's a miracle you haven't burst something yet. Let Hinata try to talk him down." Gaara warns the blonde.

"You have too many supporters in the Leaf for Naruto to just take back control. But Naruto has too much support outside the village for you to ever be Hokage without a war." Hinata murmurs.

Sasuke couldn't deny that. While he had brought with him a lot of ninjas and some civilians who shared his way of thinking, the outside world saw Naruto as a war hero.

The blonde was really a war hero, but that was besides the point. But if the blonde went back to leading the village, he doubted his followers would take that lying down. They were fucked.

"I might have a suggestion." Gaara states.

"Yeah?" Naruto asks and Sasuke merely raises an eyebrow like, _Go on._

"The village now mostly follows Sasuke. The other ninja nations mostly only recognize Naruto. Perhaps it'd be best to simply have two Hokages. The First and the Second Hokage more or less ruled side by side without much issue." He reasons.

"He's a naïve idiot." Sasuke states.

"And he's a bastard." Naruto responds.

' "And it's a good plan." Hinata butts in.

"But this would keep our child safe?" Sasuke asks Gaara.

"It should. I doubt anyone is really foolish enough to challenge both of you. One is bad enough, but together it'd be almost impossible." The red head reasons.

"There's a problem with your little plan. That'd be two Hokages. That's an even number." Sasuke points out.

"Yeah! What happens if we don't agree on something?" The blonde asks.

"Flip a coin or Rock, Paper, Scissors." The Kazekage answers.

"You can't possibly be serious." Sasuke mutters.

"I am. It's a fair way to resolve a dispute. You can't rightfully expect to put it to a popular vote. Sasuke's followers outnumber Naruto's at the moment and it would be too time consuming to do so. Any Council would likely favor Naruto. My suggestion is the fairest." The red head explains.

"Well he's got a point." Naruto mutters.

"Yeah." Sasuke concedes.

"Good. Now will you two kiss and make up already?" Gaara asks dryly.

"WHAT?!" Both men cry out.

"I heard about the Academy Incident." The red head smirks.

"That was an accident. I'm NOT gay. Hinata's pregnant with my child for Godsakes. If anyone is gay, it's the loser who chased my ass for years. Not that there is anything wrong with it. I'm just saying that I have a clan to restore." Sasuke protests.

"The fact that you impregnated Hinata could just mean you are bisexual. But it doesn't really matter. I just like _messing with you._ " The Kazekage admits.

"I am so not gay!" Naruto scoffs.

"Oh really? Ever had a girlfriend?" Sasuke asks.

"That's NOT the point! Besides, when was I supposed to get one? I was too busy trying to save your ass." Naruto huffs.

"Well that's settled. I think. You'll have to make the announcement of co-kageship. But other than that…" Gaara says.

"I really hope it's a boy." Naruto mutters.

"Why?" Sasuke asks.

"A PMS-ing version of you is too much to take." Naruto replies.

"Idiot. Just for that, Hinata do you mind if we keep trying until we get a girl?" Sasuke asks.

"…" Hinata didn't even know how to respond to that.

"Only the Uchiha." Gaara mutters with a sigh.

"You really are such an asshole!" Naruto growls.

"And you are still a loser." Sasuke says.

"We should probably go make the announcement." Naruto says.

"Idiot. If we make the announcement looking like this, no one is going to buy it." Sasuke tells him.

"Good point. Hey, Hinata would you mind patching us up?" Naruto asks with big blue puppy dog eyes.

"Is it safe for her to be using medical jutsus while she's pregnant?" Sasuke asks.

"It's safe Sasuke. I'm pregnant. I'm not crippled." Hinata says and shakes her head in amusement.

"Oh good. Just making sure." He mutters.

Hinata smiles and heals Naruto. Then she walks over to her very stubborn lover and begins healing him. She kisses him and whispers something that Naruto couldn't hear.

"You better not have another fight with Naruto after I heal you. Because if you do you are sleeping on the couch with Charger." She informs him.

"…That's cold." Sasuke says.

"So are you going to be nice?" She asks.

"I'm not nice. I told you that I'm not him. But fine, I won't attack the idiot. Well not unless he attacks first or says something really stupid. Which he will probably do." Sasuke says.

"Sasuke." She says warningly.

"Alright. Alright. I won't attack him. But only for your sake. I don't want to upset you when you are pregnant. That's bad for the baby." He informs her.

Hinata shakes her head in amusement. Morning Sickness was not fun. But she was beginning to see there could be advantages to being pregnant. Sasuke clearly was going into overprotective mode.

"Alright. You both look presentable enough. Perhaps Naruto and I should tell Mei and the Raikage before you let the entire world know what you are planning to do. Mei I can probably reason with. The Raikage isn't likely to react well to this. He might declare war." Gaara warns.

"If he declares war, he just signed his own death warrant. I killed the Stone Kage, I'll kill him too if necessary." Sasuke says.

"Uchiha, I'd rather not have you known as a Kage Serial Killer. That would make it difficult for you to be excepted as a Co-Kage." The red head points out.

"Alright. Fair point. Well loser, Gaara go work your magic. Hinata and I have a lot to talk about." Sasuke says.

"I still can't believe you are going to be a father. Hopefully you aren't a bastard to the kid, like you are to everyone else." Naruto teases.

"My kid isn't going to be annoying like you. There's no reason for me to treat them like they are." Sasuke counters.

"Oh yeah?" Naruto asks and twitches.

"Both of you stop fighting. We have more important things to worry about." Gaara chimes in.

"You're right." Sasuke says and flits off with Hinata.

"Hopefully the kid takes after her. I don't think the world could handle two Sasuke's." Naruto mutters.

"I have to agree with you there." Gaara states and heads off with Naruto.

Gaara requests a meeting of the Kage. Soon enough they all meet in the Grass Village. It was the closest and most neutral location they could find on short notice.

"As you can see, your plan to rescue Naruto worked. But some unforeseen circumstances have arisen that have drastically altered things in the Leaf. Naruto, maybe you should explain." Gaara begins uncertainly.

"Thanks for getting me out of there. Well…Sasuke and I talked it over and with the help of Gaara we came to an understanding." Naruto says.

"AN UNDERSTANDING? You came to an understanding with the man who kidnapped you and held you hostage for weeks?" The Raikage thunders.

"Yeah. It's kinda a long story." The blonde rubs the back of his head sheepishly.

"Let him speak." Mei says.

"So Sasuke and I kinda figured out that he has enough followers in the Leaf that even if I took back my position, it'd be difficult. But I'm way better liked outside the village. So he'd have a hard time keeping his Kageship, since other villages would probably declare war on him." Naruto continues.

"Damn right we would declare war." The Raikage agrees.

"So we decided just to share the title. The First and Second Hokage basically did it. We'd just make it official." The blonde continues happily.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR DAMN MIND?" The Raikage roars in outrage.

"You can't be serious." Mei mutters.

"I'm serious. So is Sasuke. Don't worry. He's got a very good reason to be normal now." Naruto assures them.

"Gaara, will you try to smack some sense into him? Naruto has clearly taken leave of his senses if he's trusting the Uchiha again. It's like he didn't learn anything from the last time he was dumb enough to do that." The Raikage pleads.

"It was my idea. It's really the only way to heal the rift between the two factions. I admit it's not ideal. I certainly don't trust the Uchiha. But it is the only practical solution." The red head says.

"Practical?! You call letting a mass murderer be Hokage practical?" The Raikage demands.

"Compared to the other options, yes. Do not raise your voice at me in such a fashion again." Gaara warns him.

"Yelling isn't going to solve this issue." Mei sighs.

This was bad. Naruto seemed to actually think this was a good idea. She wasn't sure how the Hell Gaara got it into his normally reasonable mind it was. But it didn't look like there was any stopping it. Maybe they should go along with it and wait for an opportunity to kill the last Uchiha when his guard was lowered.

"Raikage, I would like to speak with you alone for a moment, if you do not mind." She says.

"Of course." He says and walks off with her.

"I certainly don't like it. But we have little choice. My advice is that we go along with it. It will cause Sasuke to lower his guard. Once he does, we can have him killed." She tells him.

"That is a good idea. Very well. But we must put up as a big a fuss as possible so they don't get suspicious." He replies.

"Naturally." She says and they both walk back into the room.

"I agree only because I do not want to lose thousands of ninjas fighting a war opposing this ridiculous notion." The Raikage states.

"And I agree for similar reasons." Mei informs them.

"Good. It's settled then. Sasuke and Naruto can make it official shortly after they return. Thank you for coming." Gaara says.

They nod. Gaara walks off with Naruto. The red head was frowning. That had been just a little too easy. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the calm before the storm.

"What's wrong? You don't look too happy." Naruto says.

"It was too easy." He mutters.

"Yeah. Something is up. But for now we should probably go with it." He says.

"Yeah. For now, we'll go with it." The red head agrees.


	18. Chapter 18

Opportunity

Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews. I guess the fight scene went better than I thought it did. ^^ Oh and your chance to weigh in. If you have a preference for if the baby should be a boy, girl, both, two girls, or two boys let me know in a review or private message. (Twins run in Hinata's family.)

Chapter 18

"So how you think they are going to take the whole two Hokage thing?" Naruto asks as he walks alongside Sasuke.

"Badly. Hinata, I want you to find someplace to hide and this time STAY there." He tells her.

"Alright." She says and gives him a kiss on his cheek, before darting off without arguing. (Which was a relief to Sasuke.)

"It's still so weird to see you two together. I mean I know they say opposites attract, but wow." Naruto mutters.

"If they weren't together, I don't know if the fight would have stopped." Gaara says.

"Probably not. The bastard is so pig headed." Naruto says cheerfully as if the situation was perfectly normal.

"Oh I'M the pig headed one?! Who chased me all over the Five Nations for years?" Sasuke scoffs.

"You're both pig headed." The red head states.

"Awe come on, Gaara! You're supposed to be on my side." The blonde whines.

"I am on your side. But a fact is a fact. You are both pig headed. If you weren't, we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place. I will stand by your side and try to lend some outside credibility to this…agreement. It was my idea. I do bare responsibility for whatever fallout may occur." The red head continues, ignoring Naruto's protesting.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara head to the village square. Normally at this point, Sasuke would use a jutsu to amplify his voice so everyone could hear him. But Naruto was Naruto. This was one situation where the blonde having a big, fat mouth came in handy. No jutsu was necessary. You had to be deaf not to hear what the blue eyed ninja was saying.

"LISTEN UP, EVERYONE! WE HAVE AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE!" The Hokage yells.

That got the attention of all people in the street and they all turn their heads to Naruto. There were confused expressions on their faces. Sasuke and Naruto were standing right next to each other. But neither of them had a mark on them. (Thanks to Hinata's healing.)

"I know this is going to be a shock. But Sasuke and I have decided just to rule the village together. It'll be easier that way. The new ninjas and transfers can stay. I'll make sure that he doesn't go crazy and try to take over the world." Naruto reassures them.

"And I'll make sure that he doesn't make this village weak with his foolish idealism." Sasuke adds.

Stunned silence. You could have heard a pin drop. Whatever they had been expecting, this wasn't it. Naruto and Sasuke wanted to rule TOGETHER? Was such a thing even legal? Even if it was, was it even possible? The two men couldn't be more different. It would be chaos. Had they lost their minds? What the Hell was going on?!

"I assure everyone that they do sincerely intend to work together for the good of this village. I understand that it is difficult to believe, but it is the truth." Gaara states.

There was some muttering from Sasuke supporters. They all seemed to be huddling together. It looked like a sports huddle. Gaara was somewhat disturbed by this.

Naruto's supporters however, just started shouting. Cries of _"He's a traitor! You have to be kidding me! Are you insane?!"_ were heard.

"Even your supporters are loud." Sasuke says with a sigh and rubs his temples, feeling a migraine coming on.

"Yeah? Well yours are creepy. For Godsakes they are huddling and all sneaky!" Naruto snaps.

"It's called strategizing." The last Uchiha says and rolls his eyes. (Well actually technically Sasuke was no longer the last Uchiha. But he was the only one who had been born yet.)

"Do you think that it's some sort of trick on Sasuke's part?" One of Sasuke's supporters murmurs.

"Has to be. I can't imagine he'd just give up like that. It makes no sense after everything." Another says.

"Maybe he just didn't want to risk going to war with the other ninja nations and decided half a kageship was better than risking no kageship?" A third weighs in.

"It's possible. But it doesn't seem likely. I mean he took over the village. He ordered an attack on the Stone Village. He killed their Kage. Sasuke has attacked a Kage Summit before. The Uchiha clearly isn't wary about attacking Kages." The first responds.

"Well it's not like we have a choice. If he's not willing to fight for whatever reason, there's no point in starting a civil war without a leader. That won't end well. I say we go along with this craziness for now." Still another chimes in reasonably.

"Yeah. I guess you are right. Alright. Huddle over." They say and turn around ready to give their verdict.

"We accept the idea of two Hokages." One of the Sasuke people says and seems to have been appointed as the unofficial spokesperson.

"Good." Sasuke says and nods his head in approval.

"Seriously?! What the fuck? Most of them aren't even from the Leaf Village!" One of the Naruto supporters say.

"Just shut up!" An old woman snaps.

"What'd you say to me?!" He growls.

"I said shut up! If Naruto isn't willing to go to war, then we would have no hope of beating them. We are outnumbered. Even if we somehow won, we'd lose a lot of people in the process. I don't want to see unnecessary bloodshed. I've seen enough of it to last me ten lifetimes!" She thunders at him.

Well the old lady yelling, seemed to work wonders on Naruto supporters. They clearly weren't any happy about it than the Sasuke supporters, but there was no some nodding going on. Naruto took that as acceptance. (He was a bit envious that Sasuke supporters seemed to have organized themselves and had a spokesperson…)

"Alright. So I guess it's settled then?" Naruto asks.

There were various cries of agreement. It was still a tense situation. Sasuke thought that at any moment someone was going to say something stupid and set off a riot in the streets. This could get ugly fast.

He was glad he had told Hinata to hide. He just hoped she actually listened this time. She was pregnant. She shouldn't get caught up in a riot. (Not that it was ever acceptable for her to get caught up in a riot, it was just especially not acceptable for her to do so while she was pregnant.)

"That went better than expected." Gaara mutters.

"Alright. Great! Well that's really all I wanted to say. You guys can you know stop staying on opposites sides of the village if you want now. I mean it'd be good to start showing some unity." Naruto adds.

The Sasuke and Naruto people look at each other. It was clear from the disgusted expressions none of them were particularly keen on that suggestion. They all walk off, retreating to "their" sides of the Leaf Village.

"This is going to take a lot of work." The blonde sighs.

"Yeah." Sasuke agrees.

"It's okay bastard. I got this. I know you wanna check on her and your super baby." Naruto whispers.

"Super baby?" Sasuke asks and raises an eyebrow.

"What the kid might have the Byakugan and Sharingan…mini bastard is going to be a powerhouse! I just hope they take after Hinata when it comes to their personality." Naruto chirps merrily.

"You really are such a loser." Sasuke says, swats Naruto, and races off to find Hinata.

"It's good to know that some things never change." Gaara muses.

"Yeah. Once a bastard, always a bastard." Naruto agrees.

Sasuke soon finds Hinata. He was relieved that she was alright. The last Uchiha (he really had to stop thinking of himself that way) knew this pregnancy was going to be absolutely nerve wracking for him. He was already worried sick about her.

"We told everyone about the two Hokage idea." He informs her.

"How'd they take it?" She asks.

"Better than expected. Things are still tense. But no riots yet. Let's take advantage of that and get you to a doctor." Sasuke states and offers her his hand.

"Probably a good idea. I mean to make sure everything is okay." She says with a smile.

"Yeah. Where is Asa and the dogs?" He questions.

"Back at the orphanage. Their safe with Iruka Sensei." Hinata replies.

Iruka wasn't exactly the strongest nInja around. But he was a competent Chunin. Sasuke figured if something happened, he could at least act as a decoy long enough for the others to get away. That reassured him somewhat.

"Good to know." He says and takes her to the hospital.

Sasuke finds Shizune. She was an experienced medic. While she wasn't happy about him taking over the village, he decided she was the closest to neutral that he was likely to get at this point. Plus she liked Hinata.

"I need a pregnancy test." Hinata stammers out.

"Of course. Wait…he's not?" She trails off and looks at Sasuke.

"The father if she is? Yes, I am." Sasuke says and gives Shizune a look that DARES her to say something about it.

"Um alright. This won't take long." She says and checks her chakra. (Which was faster and more reliable than a blood test.)

"Your chakra patterns have been slightly altered. It is about what would be expected at the 1-2 month mark of a pregnancy. I'd say congratulations but…" She trails off.

"I wouldn't finish that sentence." Sasuke advises.

Shizune meeps. Hinata gives her a reassuring look. How to explain that Sasuke was more bark than bite at the moment?

"Give her a full check up. I'll wait outside." He says and heads out of the room.

He wanted the physical to be as accurate as possible. Shizune was obviously terrified of him. He didn't want that terror to lead to inaccuracy. Plus he wasn't sure if he could keep himself from flying off the handle

. Shizune didn't say it, but it was clear she probably didn't think their relationship was a consensual one. He sighs and smacks his forehead. He was going to have to deal with a lot of Shizunes for the foreseeable future. That was going to be…annoying.

"Well Hinata it seems that you are in perfect health. Your pregnancy seems perfectly normal. Are you…is he treating you well? She asks.

"Yes. He's a different person in private. He's…loving." She responds.

"That's good. Well I imagine he'd have to treat you at least reasonably well. He does want to restore his clan. If you don't mind me asking, how did this happen?" Shizune asks, utterly baffled at how the sweet girl became that demon's lover.

"It's a long story." Hinata replies sheepishly and rubs the back of her head.

"Well by my estimates, you are due in March. It's too early to tell the gender yet. Would you like to know in advance or be surprised?" She questions.

"Oh. Um I'm not sure. I'll ask Sasuke." She says with a smile.

"Alright. Well he's waiting for you. I'd rather not have him out in the hallway too long. He's probably spooking some of the staff and visitors just by being here." Shizune informs her.

"Sorry about that. I know he can be a bit…intimidating." Hinata says as she goes to join Sasuke.

"What'd she say?" Sasuke asks.

"I'm due in March. It's too early to know the gender. Everything is fine." She assures him.

"Good. Let's get you home. You should be resting." He states.

"Sasuke, I'm at MOST two months along. Probably less." Hinata tells him.

"And you should still be resting." Sasuke counters and scoops her up bridal style.

"Sasuke, I can walk." She mumbles.

"I know." He says as they start off.

"Sasuke!" She squeaks as he carries her through the village.

"Yeah?" He asks.

"Put me down! It's embarrassing. Everyone is staring." She stammers.

"If you think that they are staring now, wait a few months when you are showing." He informs her.

"Well that's true! But still!" She blushes hotly.

"We're almost home anyway." Sasuke says and apparently he wasn't going to be dissuaded from being overprotective that easily.

Sasuke sets her on the bed. He does a quick summoning. Suddenly, dozens of snakes are in the room.

"S-sasuke? Why'd you summon so many snakes. Mostly POISONOUS snakes at that?" She squeaks.

"To protect you, while I get you something to eat. This village is one punch away from a Civil War. People know that you're my lover. You'll be a target until Naruto and I can make this two Hokage thing work. I would summon Aoda but he's too big to fit in the house. These are his babies." He answers.

"Babies?! Most of them are as big as anacondas!" She states.

"You haven't seen Aoda. He's bigger than a two story building. Trust me, these are babies." Sasuke informs her.

"Really?" She blinks and her eyes widen in surprise.

"Yes, really. I'll be right back." He says and kisses her cheek.

"Okay. Nice snakes." She mumbles and watches them a bit warily.

"We aren't going to bite you." One of them says.

"Oh right. Summons can talk." She mumbles.

Sasuke heads to the kitchen and looks around for something suitable. She was eating for two now. He'd be damned if he'd feed her something like ramen. Thankfully, she was with him and not Naruto. He could easily picture Naruto giving her a bunch of ramen. He rolls his eyes at the thought.

Soon enough he returns with a tray of food. It included a salad, grapes, cheese, bread, ham, and cheesecake. Hinata blinks. Oh yeah, he was going into overprotective mode.

"Sasuke that's very sweet. But there's no way that I could possibly eat all that." She says.

"Eat what you like, I'll have the rest. I can always shove what's left into the fridge." He says and sits behind her.

"Okay." She says and nibbles at the cheesecake.

Sasuke smiles and wraps his arms around her. He places a few chaste kisses along her neck. He could deal with sharing power with the loser, if it meant she was safe.

"Mmm you are such a cuddler." She mumbles and leans back into him.

"Only for you and don't you dare tell anyone that." He nips her ear.

"My lips are sealed." She promises.

"Good." He says approvingly.

The next day Hinata shakes her head. Honestly, she appreciated that Sasuke was worried about her. It was touching really. But he was being just a bit ridiculous.

"Sasuke, you and Naruto need to talk. You need to figure out how you are going to run this village together. I will be fine. You can summon Aoda if it makes you feel better." She tells him.

"I just don't like leaving you alone, when things are so tense." He argues.

"I'll be fine. I promise." She says and kisses him.

"Alright. I'll be back as soon as I can. You still have Charger and I'll have Aoda watch you outside the house." Sasuke relents and kisses back.

"Exactly." She says with a smile, pleased that he had finally seen reason.

Meanwhile, Gaara was speaking with Mei. Mei he might be able to reason with. Well at least he thought he had a better shot with her than the Raikage. The Raikage utterly loathed the Uchiha.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me so quickly. I assume you know why I asked you here today." He says as they sit down for their meeting in the Sand's Council Room.

"To talk about Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki being Co-Hokages. Yes. I am surprised that you are so…supportive of such a move. I know you are close to Naruto. Sasuke has betrayed him before." Mei observes.

"Yes, he has. But he also has most of the Leaf supporting him at this point. However, most of those outside the Leaf support Naruto. It would be a no win situation, no matter who became Hokage. This way, the worst of hostilities can be at least cooled." He reasons.

"Yes, I can see your reasoning. It still surprises me. Do you trust him?" She asks referring to the Uchiha.

"I can't say that I do. But I do know that he has very valid reasons now for wanting to maintain the peace." The red head answers.

"What are those valid reasons?" She inquires.

"It's not my place to say. You'll find out soon enough." The Kazekage says.

"You've always been so respectful of other people's privacy. I know that you didn't mention what happened when Tsunade got intoxicated on New Years. You could have used that as blackmail." She chuckles.

"I was…a bit too traumatized to think of such a thing." The Kazekage concedes.

"Did she really give you a lap dance?" Mei chuckles.

"…I'd rather not speak of that incident. I almost suffocated to death due to her…" The red head trails off.

He shivers. It was disturbing having a woman old enough to be your mother, sitting in your lap and offering you an erotic dance. He knew that she was extremely drunk. She'd never do that when she was sober. He'd almost suffocated due to her rather large bosom being in his face.

He'd learned a valuable lesson that day. Don't ever be alone with Tsunade when she was intoxicated. She could be a frisky drunk.

"Mmm yes, I'm sure it was just so horribly traumatic for you." She laughs.

"It was. I didn't want to cause an international incident." He mutters.

"Uh huh. Most men would be rather pleased to have been in your position." She teases.

"I'm certain of that." He concedes.

"Do you just not like women?" She asks curiously.

"What…kind of question is that?" The red head feels his face heating up in embarrassment.

"An honest one. I don't believe I've seen you with anyone or even give another so much as a passing glance." She continues.

"I like women. They just don't like me in THAT fashion." He says.

"You seem to have a few admirers in the Sand." She chuckles.

"Those are girls, not women." He replies.

"And what's the difference between a girl and a woman to you?" She asks in amusement.

"A girl giggles. A woman does not." He says with a straight face.

Mei couldn't help but laugh. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting. But that was not it. It was such an honest answer. The Kazekage was nothing if not…direct.

Sasuke meanwhile heads to the Hokage Tower. Naruto and Sasuke had agreed to meet there to discuss things. Honestly, he'd rather be back home. The Uchiha would vastly prefer laying in bed with Hinata to listening to Naruto's loudmouth.

"Wow. You really went all out bastard. How'd you come up with this stuff? Naruto asks, looking over Sasuke's changes in the Academy.

"Logic. Something I know the Leaf Village isn't fond of." He says smugly.

"Well the specialization classes are good. But some of these are too dangerous for kids. You know what I mean?" He asks.

"You need to stop babying them. Did any of our opponents ever care that we were younger than them on the battlefield?" Sasuke asks.

"No. But these aren't even Genin yet. Some of this stuff is way above what your average Academy student could ever hope to accomplish." He says.

"Well maybe we should weed out the average students. It'll save them from dying an early death." Sasuke states.

"Ouch! That was cold. Ice cold. How'd you ever knock Hinata up with that ice dick?" Naruto asks.

WHACK. Sasuke twitches and smacks Naruto. That damn idiot. He always had to go and say something stupid. He just couldn't be an adult for once. Oh no. That wasn't Naruto. It went against every fiber of his being, it seemed.

"You are such an idiot." Sasuke mutters.

"And you are such a bastard!" Naruto growls.

"I'd rather be a bastard than an idiot." Sasuke smirks.


	19. Chapter 19

Opportunity

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. Well as far as Sasuke and Hinata baby/babies the reviews were all over the place. The tallies are as follows. One vote for one boy. One vote for two girls. Two votes for two boys. ( :P You guys like to tempt fate with the whole Uchiha brother thing, I see.) Feel free to keep weighing in. I haven't decided yet. I decided to give Asa some more face time in this chapter. Oh and Gaara needs love as well.

Chapter 19

"I'm warning you, stay back! I don't want to fight." Asa says to a group of Naruto supporting kids.

It seemed that they hadn't gotten the memo on the whole co-ruling thing. That or they didn't care. They were a lot bigger than Asa. Sasuke had been helping her train a little bit. She could take them if she had to!

"You're that traitor's daughter!" One them yells.

"…You're kidding me, right? I'm six. Do you know how young he would have been when I was born to be my father?" She asks.

"You have that woman's hair! You could be his daughter. You have to be his daughter! Why else would he bother with you?" A ten year old boy demands to know.

"Maybe because I'm not a scaredy cat that needs to pick an entire gang to back me up when fighting someone half their size!" She yells at him.

"What'd you call me, pipsqueak?!" He twitches.

"A scaredy cat!" She taunts him.

"Oh yeah?" He says and smacks her, sending the girl flying straight into a tree.

"Pathetic. You might as well turn in your head band right now." She hears someone say.

Asa looks to see who was talking. She didn't recognize him. He was a boy about eight or so years old. He had dark brown hair that was styled similarly to Sasuke's when he was a Genin, but his was more wavy. His eyes were forest green. If his sudden appearance didn't get her attention, the fact he SPIT on her attacker, did.

"Did you just spit at me?!" The older boy cries.

"You're not as stupid as you look." The brown haired boy says with a smirk.

"OH THAT'S IT. GET HIM!" The leader of the gang says and they charge at him.

The other boys make a dog pile. Asa saw the boy take out something white from his pocket. An explosive tag?! Uh oh!

"Just because you're bigger, doesn't make you smarter." The boy says and darts out of the dog pile, just as the tag goes off, and over to her.

"Come on. Let's get out of here!" He says and drags her off, running.

"He used explosive tags?! Where did he get those?" The leader wonders but they chase after the two.

"Got your kunai pouch on you?" Akira asks Asa.

"Yeah. But there are too many of them! They are j-erks but they don't deserve to die." She mumbles quickly.

"They don't have to die. Let me see the kunais." He says.

Asa cautiously hands them to her savior. Sasuke had taught her how to throw them a year before the other kids in her class would be using plastic ones. Hers were real. She remembered Sasuke teaching her. (Hinata hadn't been happy about it.)

 _"Things might get ugly in the village soon. You need to be able to defend yourself." Sasuke said as he lead her outside to the garden._

 _"Ugly?" She asks and tilts her head to the side curiously._

 _"Yes. Which is why I'm going to teach you how to throw kunai. No one will expect someone your age to be packing real weapons. It's easy enough to learn." He assures her._

 _"Sasuke, you can't be serious. The girl is only six!" Hinata protests._

 _"And by that age, Itachi had almost graduated the Academy. She can do it. " Sasuke had responded._

 _"If she gets hurt, no red kimono for you ever again!" Hinata had threatened him._

 _Asa didn't understand what a red kimono had to do with anything. But she was happy. She was going to throw real kunais, just like a real ninja!_

 _"It's all in the wrist." Sasuke said and flung a kunai at a target._

 _"You try. Aim for the middle." He says and motions to a target with several layers on it._

 _"Okay!" She said excitedly and hurls the kunai as hard as she could. It hit the very edge of the target._

 _"That was good. Most your age can't even get it to the at all." Sasuke had praised her._

 _They had spent the entire day throwing kunais at the targets. About an hour or two into the "training," Hinata seemed to decide that it was safe enough to go and check on the hospital. Sasuke had poked her forehead at the end of the session and told her that she was a natural._

And it was true. Asa was good at throwing kunais. She had discovered that her wrist was more flexible than the average person and she could flung the lethal weapons with presumably deadly accuracy. For now, she'd only stuck to target practice.

"I've seen you at school. You're good with these. Just hurl them in the direction of them." He told her, tying explosive tags to each.

"Ohhh…the explosions…" She trails off.

"Will attract attention. Yeah." He tells her.

Asa flings the kunais with all her might. The tags exploded. The sounds and sight of the flames did the trick. Sasuke had been heading home, when he heard the tags and went to investigate.

He glances at a tree that Asa and a boy had taken refuge in. There was a group of young boys. It didn't take a genius to figure out the group had been harassing Asa and presumably the other boy, who Sasuke didn't know. The boys hadn't seen Sasuke yet though. He watches from behind another tree.

"Traitor's daughter! You're protecting her! Her father destroyed this village and brainwashed the Hokage!" They yell at her and her "friend."

Oh so that was it. They were attacking Asa because of him. He feels his Sharingan activate and comes out of hiding.

"If you have an issue with me, I'm right here. Picking on little girls is so pathetic." Sasuke says and his eyes to the kids looked like those of a demon straight from the pits of Hell.

"That's what I said!" Akira shouts.

The boys all take off running. Well that was easy. He gestures for Asa to come down. She hops down from the tree and Sasuke catches her.

The boy was a little older. He scaled down the tree in a relatively nimble fashion for someone his age. Sasuke was moderately impressed really.

"Thank you. What's your name?" Sasuke asks, sparing a sideways glance at the boy.

"Akira. It wasn't fair. It was five against one." He mumbles and tries to keep his knees from shaking at the sight of infamous ninja.

"Here. You've earned this more than I ever did." Sasuke says and hands the boy his old headband, the one that had the slash through it.

"Wow! Really? But I haven't graduated yet." He says.

"Yes, really. Come on Asa. Hinata will worry if we are late." He says and tosses the girl on his back, heading off with her.

"Hinata?" Sasuke calls when they get home.

He hears the sound of flesh striking wood and metal. She was training when she was pregnant. Oh Hell no! Sasuke shakes his head and sets Asa down.

He follows the sounds to his kitten. Honestly, she was pregnant. She shouldn't be training! Her sexy ass should be in bed, resting.

"Hinata. Bed. Now." He says.

"I'm just hitting some training posts." She says.

"Uh huh. That's enough for today. Come to bed." He says again.

"Sasuke, I'm not doing anything too hard. I can't just lay in bed for months and do nothing else!" She protests.

"Who says you'd be doing nothing else? I can think of a few ways to pass the time." He says and pushes her against a nearby tree, kissing her.

Hinata kisses back and smiles into the kiss. She wraps her arms around his neck. Well on second thought, maybe this bed rest thing wasn't so bad. It didn't sound like there would be too much resting involved though.

"I love you. I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby. Humor me. Maybe the whole Asa incident is making me more paranoid than usual. But I'd feel better if you would come to bed with me." Sasuke says and kisses her forehead.

"Asa incident?" Hinata asks.

"It's nothing." He assures her.

"If it's nothing then you won't mind telling me." She reasons.

"I walked right into that one." He chuckles.

"Yes, you did." She says with a smile.

"Just some boys that decided Asa was my daughter and had to be punished for being the traitor's daughter. She's alright though. Some boy helped her get away and send a distress signal. The boys took one look at me and ran." Sasuke tells her.

"Sasuke, if kids will target Asa for her association with you, our baby…" She tells him.

"They were dumb kids. By the time the baby is born, Naruto and I will have been sharing Kageship for months. I won't let anything happen to our family." He tells her and takes her by the hand, leading her to their bedroom.

Meanwhile in the Sand Village, Gaara collapses panting next to Mei. He wasn't exactly sure how it happened. He'd been discussing his view on what made a person a woman or a girl. Mei seemed to find it amusing. She had mentioned something about demonstrating the difference and…Holy Sage of Six Paths!

"So that's…sex. I can see the appeal now." He says.

"I thought you might." She says and lays her head on her young lover's chest.

Gaara was young. But he was old enough. Honestly, if you were old enough to lead a ninja village, you were old enough for sex.

He was extremely innocent when it came to all things carnal. That was incredibly appealing in a way. He was eager to please. His stamina was also…impressive. Yes, there were certainly advantages to taking a younger lover.

"Maybe next time you can make handcuffs out of the sand." She suggests.

"You want to be tied up?" Gaara asks.

"Who said I was the one who was going to be cuffed?" She says with a sly smile.

"Ohhh." Gaara says with a blush.

"Do you really think it will work? Sasuke and Naruto both as Hokages at the same time?" She asks as she runs her hand along his chest.

"I don't know. I hope it does. That village will go into Civil War otherwise." He says with a sigh.

"The Raikage is not happy with the arrangement to put it mildly." She warns him.

"I figured as much. Do you think he'd actually do something about it though?" Gaara asks.

"He'll try something. I'm just not sure when or what exactly. He's a good friend of mine. He is just doing what he thinks is right." She states.

"I know. But I can't allow him to possibly set off another Great War." The red head replies.

"I know." She says.

"Then where does that leave us?" Gaara questions.

"When it comes to the Raikage? I'm not sure. When it comes to us…well I still have many things I can show you. How strong is the desk in your office?" She inquires.

"I suppose it's fairly strong. Why do you ask?" He says and tilts his head in confusion.

"You'll see." She says with a sly smile.

Meanwhile back in the Leaf Village, Naruto goes to get some ramen. The whole sharing Hokageship with Sasuke thing was going better than he expected. But he couldn't deny he was worried.

The Leaf was more divided now than it had ever been. Sasuke's supporters tried their best to avoid Naruto supporters. Naruto supporters kept trying to start fights with Sasuke's. That would cause the bastard's people to start fighting back. It was a miracle the village was still in one piece. Only the threat of Sasuke or Naruto finding out about the fighting kept fist fights and barroom brawls from breaking out into full scale riots.

"Well if the bastard can actually fall in love, anything can happen. Even the two sides getting along." He says with a grin and orders a ten bowls of ramen.

Elsewhere, the Raikage paces. This couldn't be allowed to happen. He had no idea what Naruto or even Gaara were thinking. Naruto he could almost understand. The man was loyal to the point of absolute stupidity. But Gaara? Gaara was supposed to be smarter than this.

"Can't they see that he's a viper?" He mutters to himself.

How could they not see the Uchiha's true nature? For Godsakes, he had kidnapped and held Naruto hostage for WEEKS. Yet, still the Hokage defended him as if none of that ever happened. Was everyone around him insane, with the except of himself and Mei?

Speaking of Mei, he was starting to grow worried. She hadn't returned his letter yet. That was unlike her. She was usually so prompt with her responses. Had the Uchiha attacked her? So help him God, if that demon had hurt his friend, he was going to send him straight back to the pit of Hell that the demon had slithered out of.

Asa meanwhile was happy to be "home." She decided to do some exploring. She'd never really done much of it before, not wanting to risk annoying Sasuke. He'd taken her in on the spur of the moment. She still didn't really understand why. He had thanked Akira for saving her. That had to mean something right? She could explore if she wanted to now.

She ended up in a study of sorts. There was a bookshelf in there. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something shiny. Being the child that she was, shiny was irresistible. So she grabs it.

It was a very old book with a silver silk clad cover and the Uchiha symbol on it. She recognized the symbol because Sasuke usually wore it on his back and Hinata had a necklace with it. She flips through some pages until she saw a page entitled **Fireball Jutsu.**

 _"Foolish little brother. You don't leave such a book out in the open with a child around." Itachi says and smacks his forehead in the afterlife._

 _"You don't think she'll actually attempt it, do you?" Izumi asks her beloved._

 _"She's a child. Of course she's going to attempt it." Itachi responds._

 _Itachi just hoped the kid didn't have enough chakra to actually do it. Uchiha children could learn it more quickly than most because it was in their blood. They had generations of fire users on every branch of the family tree. They were primed for it in a manner similar to how the Inuzuka clan was primed to understand dogs._

 _"Well he's lived alone so long, that it's only natural he'd forget about something like that. I'm sure they'll be fine, my love. Sasuke or Hinata would notice the scent of smoke." She reassures him._

Sasuke was enjoying lounging in bed with Hinata, when he smelled the smoke. What the Hell? He races off to see where it was coming from.

He found Asa. She had managed to create a fireball, of sorts. It was more smoke than flame. But still. Then he saw what book she was looking at. Well that explained that.

"Asa, it is not a good idea to attempt new jutsus alone. Though I am impressed you managed that on your own." He mutters.

Hinata soon joins Sasuke's side. She blinks, seeing the little girl with the smoky fireball. The bluenette looks at Sasuke in confusion.

"She found one of my clan's old texts. Looks like she tried to give making a fireball a go. She was successful." Sasuke says and seems to find the situation more amusing than anything.

Hinata, however, was not as amused. Asa could have gotten hurt. She gives Sasuke a look that says, _Really? This is serious!_

Sasuke tries his best not to laugh. He really does. But he couldn't help it. That expression on his kitten's face was priceless.

"Stop laughing! She could have been hurt or the house could have burned down." Hinata huffs.

"She's fine. I'll just make sure to put the family books somewhere she won't get into them. It's alright." He reassures her.

Hinata shakes her head. Honestly, Sasuke could be so impossible sometimes. He actually thought a kid making fireballs, without supervision was…cute. He was smug about the situation! Like he was getting some sort of demented fatherly pride out of it.

"How is it going with Naruto?" She asks.

"About as well as can be expected. He's still a loser. He's still an idiot. He still doesn't make long term plans. He thinks everything can run smoothly on goodwill alone. But it's Naruto. So that's just who he is." Sasuke says with a shrug.

"How are we going to get the two sides to get along?" She asks.

"I assume that in time, they'll mellow out. Until then, it's best to be on guard. Asa got jumped for Godsakes. They were just dumb kids. They were probably just acting on what their parents told them. But still, if it's filtered down to that level…it's not a good sign." He states.

Later that day, Sasuke meets with Kakashi. Naruto thought it would be a good idea for the two of them to _Work things out._ Sasuke honestly didn't care about reconciling with his former teacher all that much. But he acknowledged Kakashi was well respected in the village. It'd be a good idea to at least offer an olive branch publicly.

"My advice if you want this co-Hokage concept to work you will have to be seen in Naruto in public, getting along." Kakashi offers.

"Yeah. I know." Sasuke admits.

"For the sake of your child, you should at least work on improving your public image. The transfers practically worship you. Some of the native Leaf Villagers can see that while your methods frankly are horrid, your results generally aren't. But for the most part native Leaf Villagers don't trust you. They think Naruto is insane to have agreed to this arrangement. Ninjas outside the Leaf, they generally fall into that camp as well. If you don't want your child to be a target for assassination attempts, I suggest you play nice." The silver haired ninja continues.

"You think I don't know that?! I'm not a fucking moron. The only reason I agreed to this is because of my child. I don't need a Civil War breaking out when Hinata is pregnant." Sasuke practically snarls at him.

"And you will need to learn to control that temper. Such facial expressions and tones would terrify any child." He muses.

"What would you know about children? You are a lifelong bachelor. You don't have any kids. The only time you've really been around them is when we were Genin. And by the time a kid is twelve, they are basically an adult." Sasuke volleys back.

"A fair point. But I imagine that I know more about them than you do." Kakashi muses.

"Oh yeah? Asa likes me." Sasuke counters.

"Yes, I was surprised to learn you had taken in an orphan. I presume this is because of Hinata's influence or perhaps you can just relate to her circumstances. I wonder sometimes, if someone had taken you in after the Massacre, if things would have been different." The Copy Cat ninja says.

"I guess we'll never know. This village likes to present itself to the outside world as the "caring" village. It's all bullshit. Most of the villagers here had no idea what was really going on in the shadows. Clueless at best." He states.

"If you dislike the village so intensely, why did you choose not only to stay but to try to take over it?" Kakashi asks.

"Because I can do better. I HAVE done better. Look the ninja promotion rates since I took over. Look at the Academy. Look at the hospital. I'm not going to let anyone else suffer the same fate as Itachi because of oblivious Kages." Sasuke growls out.

"So this is all for Itachi." The older ninja says.

"It's for Itachi and every Itachi that is just waiting to be screwed over by this place. This time, there will be a solid foundation. Unlike my ancestors, I know better than to trust this village. I'm not going to let it happen again." He replies firmly.

"Your devotion to Itachi is truly touching. But I dare say he wouldn't approve of what you are doing in his name. You didn't have to kill the Stone Kage. You did that only to make a statement. There's a lot of blood on your hands, Sasuke. While I still hope for your redemption, many are never going to be content to allow you the opportunity to seek it." His former Sensei says.

"I don't give a fuck what they allow. They are too weak to actually stop me." Sasuke says and walks off.


	20. Chapter 20

Opportunity

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. Hmm no new votes on what gender(s) the kid(s) should be. So it looks like twin boys are still in the lead and that's what we are going with. Of course this is Sasuke so they'll have younger siblings eventually at some point. *Glares at the author.* I still can't believe that after Sasuke going on and on about restoring his clan, the author expected us to believe that Sasuke had only one kid. Anyway enjoy this chapter.

Chapter Twenty

"The kid is brave. You gotta give him that." Sasuke mutters in amusement from his vantage point of the kitchen window a few months later.

"Mhm. Well it's good that she has a friend." Hinata says and leans into her husband's embrace.

They could see Asa and Akira playing out in the yard. Charger was being used as well a small horse. The dog didn't seem to mind trotting around with the kids on his back.

He seemed well as smug as a dog could get. The puppies who were now…no longer so little were playing with each other. The mother dog was watching them like a hawk.

"Yeah. Let's just hope they don't play the games we do for a VERY long time." Sasuke states.

"Sasuke he's 8. She's 6. It's a little early to be worried about that sort of thing." She laughs.

"I know the Leaf. Kids tend to pair up early here. We are the exception more than the rule." Sasuke continues.

"You are being silly." She smiles and kisses his cheek.

"Maybe. You sure you trust the idiot enough to watch them?" The dark haired man asks.

"Sasuke, Naruto is many things but he is not an idiot!" She protests.

"Yes, yes he is. If he wasn't he would be in my position right now. I'm thankful he's an oblivious idiot." Sasuke taunts.

"Sasuke, be nice." She warns him.

"I am being nice. I could be MUCH more colorful in my descriptions." He says with a smirk.

"But I'm sure he'll manage. He can always make clones." She adds as an afterthought.

"I guess I don't mind if he watches Asa and Akira. They are fairly big. But he's not babysitting the baby until he or she is AT LEAST a toddler. I don't want him to drop our son or daughter on their head and give them brain damage." Sasuke says firmly.

"Alright. There he is." She says, humoring him.

Naruto comes bounding inside the house. The blonde was truly a force of nature. He didn't even bother to knock.

This irritated Sasuke a little bit. He could have been BUSY with his new wife and the idiot could have walked in on them. Fortunately for Naruto, that was not the case. So the blue eyed ninja got to live.

"Hey, bastard! Hey, Hinata. So today is the big day, huh?" He asks cheerfully.

"Yes, we have to hurry. We don't want to keep Tsunade waiting. We get to see the baby on the ultrasound and find out the gender today." Hinata says happily.

"Great! Well don't worry about anything. I can handle Asa and…um whoever the boy is!" Naruto exclaims.

"His name is Akira. I call him Asa's shadow." Sasuke informs him.

"Damn. At that age, we still thought girls had cooties." Naruto laughs.

"Really? But you saved me when we were kids." Hinata asks and blinks.

"Cooties or not, no one deserves to be treated like that!" Naruto says with a chuckle.

"He saved you? From what? When?" Sasuke asks.

"I'll tell you later. We should probably get going. Oh and Naruto I left some ramen in the kitchen for you since this might take awhile." She adds as she heads off with Sasuke.

"Really? Thanks Hinata. You're the best." He calls out as they leave.

"You're welcome." Hinata says and soon enough they get to the hospital.

To say that Tsunade was rather skeptical of the idea of Sasuke as a father, was an understatement. But Hinata didn't appear unhappy. So he must have been doing something right. She never thought she'd see the day.

It didn't matter what her personal feelings were though. She was a medic. She was trained to help people. She wasn't going to ignore a pregnant woman just because she didn't approve of who the father was.

"Did you want to know the gender?" She asks.

"Yes." They both say.

Tsunade performs the ultrasound. The medic blinks. She probably should have seen this coming. But still she was surprised to actually see it.

"Is something wrong?" Hinata asks fearfully.

"No. Not exactly." She replies.

"What is it?" Sasuke demands to know getting a bit irritated by how vague the busty blonde was being.

"You are expecting twins." She informs them.

"Oh!" Hinata says.

"That's great news!" Sasuke says and kisses Hinata's forehead.

Tsunade was shocked at the affectionate gesture. Sasuke did seem genuinely happy about the news. Well why wouldn't he? He wanted to restore his clan and was getting a buy one, get one free special. Leave it to Sasuke Uchiha to be an overachiever even when it came to knocking someone up.

"Yes." She says, sounding less than convinced that it was "great news."

"So are we buying pink or blue clothes?" Hinata asks.

"Pink?" Sasuke asks in outrage.

"Well if they are girls…it's tradition." She says merrily.

"Hinata, no Uchiha is going to be wearing pink. EVER. That's just…blasphemy!" He states.

Hinata couldn't help but giggle at Sasuke's horrified expression. It was so comical to see THAT face on her normally very much in control lover. Sasuke scowls at being giggled at.

"Two boys. They both look perfectly healthy at this point. Congratulations. It looks like we are still on track for a March due date." She informs them.

"Blue I can live with." Sasuke says.

"How generous of you." Hinata laughs.

"I thought so." He says smugly and helps Hinata up.

She takes his hand and smiles down at it. He was wearing his wedding ring. Sasuke for whatever reason had gotten them both silver rings with two emeralds cut into the shape of hearts, resting to each other. She took the heart shape as his more romantic side revealing itself.

"Well that didn't take long. I don't think Naruto or the kids will have destroyed the house yet." She muses.

She blamed it on the trauma of his childhood. But Sasuke was rarely a romantic with words or gestures. He'd tell her that he loved her and she knew he meant it. But he would never be the guy that came home with flowers or gave Valentines Day Cards.

"Don't underestimate the loser's ability to destroy stuff. He's just as big a kid as Asa and Akira. Actually they are probably more mature than him." Sasuke adds as an afterthought.

He was more of a pouncer. He tended to show he loved her through actions. This mostly involved taking he against whatever hard surface happened to be nearby when they were alone.

Some things never change. You two are always going to bicker. But at the end of the day, I know you'd do anything for each other." She says with a smile and heads home with him.

For someone who was so cold to most of the world, his passion ran hot when it came to all things carnal. She thought that it had something to with a craving for love and affection. He had closed himself off for years. So now that he had it, he was making up for lost time.

 _Hinata smiles as she remembered their wedding. It was a massive affair. Mostly it was Sasuke supporters. But some Naruto supporters had come because let's face it, when you saw a procession that large in the Village Square, you tended to get curious._

 _She smiled as she walked down the alter. Kurenai didn't approved of the match. But she had logically pointed out that if they waited too long to have the wedding, Hinata was going to have a very difficult time finding a dress for a heavily pregnant woman._

 _Sasuke had seen the wisdom in this and organized a large wedding in under two weeks. He might not be a people person, but no one could doubt his organizational skills._

 _Really that was why Naruto and Sasuke complimented each other so well as Hokages. Naruto had the people skills. Sasuke had the technical skills. It was a perfect Yin and Yang situation. (Well it was whenever they stopped trying to kill each other long enough to get anything done.)_

 _"You look like an angel. Too bad you are marrying a demon." Hiashi had told her as he walked her down the aisle._

 _"Father. Don't call him that." She remembered saying._

 _"I will because it is accurate and I'm sure he's been called worse." Hiashi responded. (Thankfully, it didn't look like Sasuke had heard any of this or he really didn't give a damn what Hiashi thought of him.)_

 _"You look beautiful." Sasuke says with a smile when his future wife finally reaches his side._

 _It was true. She was wearing a sleeveless gown with a sweetheart neckline. The top part of it was covered in spirals made out of tiny diamonds and pearls that had been sewn into the grown. The bottom flared into curtains of silk that swayed hypnotically with every step she took. She had a long veil made of lace that flowed all the way to her ankles._

 _Adoring her head was a diamond tiara and large diamond earrings. The tiara had been from Hinata's mother. The earrings had come from Mikoto's collection. (Fugaku had been hopeless at whispering sweet nothings, so he had shown his affection by buying Mikoto jewelry and a lot of it.)_

 _"Thank you." She smiled at Sasuke._

 _Asa had been the flower girl. Akira was the ring boy. Both of the children seemed to take their duties very seriously. The crowd had fawned over the cute children._

 _Suddenly a loud SMASH was heard. Charger had found a cat. The cat had run for its life and they had smashed right into the wedding cake._

 _"And there goes the cake." Sasuke says and shakes his head in amusement._

 _"Well at least he lives up to his name?" Hinata had laughed._

 _"That he does." Sasuke agreed._

 _The priest rubs the back of his head sheepishly, noting the CATstrophe. Oh well. It was a ninja wedding. He had seen stranger things._

 _"Do you Hinata Hyuga take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer…until death do you part?" He asks._

 _"I do." She answered._

 _"And do you Sasuke take Hinata Hyuga to be your lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or poor, until death do you part?" He asked. (The priest looked more than a little skittish to be next to the infamous ninja.)_

 _"I do." He answered._

 _"Then I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." He said._

 _Sasuke hadn't wasted any time. He kissed Hinata alright. He did it in a such a way that it left little doubt about how she had gotten pregnant._

 _Naruto had said something stupid like, "_ _ **Wait to go bastard!"**_ _Sasuke didn't care though. He just flipped Naruto off and continued one of his favorite pastimes, kissing Hinata._

 _Hinata had smiled into the kiss. She noticed the rude gesture Sasuke made at Naruto. But at this point, she was used to such things. Besides, Sasuke was very good at distracting her._

 _Surprisingly, the wedding had went off without a fight breaking out. She thought this was mostly due to Charger and the cat's antics and how cute Asa/Akira looked. Some things were universal across the factions it seemed._

Meanwhile, the Raikage heads to the Leaf Village. Naruto genuinely wanted to convince the older Kage that everything was fine. The blonde actually expected him to believe that the Uchiha was not plotting to stab them all in the back. How naïve was Naruto? Very fucking naïve it seemed.

Mei and Gaara had been invited as well. He was relieved about this. Perhaps they could help him in making things right. Sasuke's head on a pike would be a fine start.

"Where have you two been? I've been trying to get in touch with you for months." He fumes.

"My apologies. I was…working on several repairs to my office. Desks just aren't what they used to be." Gaara says with a straight face.

"I see. And you Mei? You've always been so prompt with your responses in the past." He turns his attention to the female Kage.

"My village is working on expanding it's hospital. It takes up a great deal of my time. I am sorry." She tells him and tries not to laugh at Gaara's reference to office repairs.

Yes, he needed stronger desks. His sand was a force to be reckoned with. It seemed when he got excited, his sand did as well.

The red head clearly didn't mean to break things in the heat of the moment, but it almost always happened. He never hurt her though. Besides, it was thrilling to watch the reserved red head lose control like that.

Facts were facts though. She wasn't about to tell the Raikage about their relationship. At least not yet, she didn't know how he'd react to it. He'd probably accuse her of being a cougar. She supposed that was accurate. But Gaara didn't seem to mind the age difference.

"If we were all to attack him at once…" The Raikage trails off.

"It would be suicidal and that's assuming Naruto didn't help him. Raikage, just accept the situation for what it is. Naruto doesn't appear to have a problem sharing his Kage Status. Besides, if you attack Sasuke his supporters will revolt. It will lead to a bloodbath. They have established a fragile peace. Do not disturb it." Gaara says.

"I can't believe you are going along with this. That monster should be dead or at least in prison. He shouldn't be ruling a village! Have you forgotten what he did to the Stone Kage?! That could have been any of us!" He thunders at the younger man.

"I did not forget. You'd do well to remember it. Next time it could be you. I do not wish to lose you, my friend. So I urge you to think this over carefully. It is playing with fire and I'm afraid you will get burnt." He counsels him.

"Mei! Do you hear this? The boy is just going to let the Uchiha get away with everything." The Raikage growls.

"He's not a boy. Yes, I hear it. Unless you have a plan, we are left at an impasse. I don't like it any better than you do. But Gaara has pointed out the situation very logically." She answers.

The Raikage looks at Mei and Gaara. She had been upset that he had called Gaara a boy. It was a figure of speech. He was well aware that Gaara was an adult. Anyone who could lead the Shinobi Allied Forces in battle, was a man by anyone's definition. But she had sounded offended on his behalf.

The two were standing closer together than would have been reasonably expected. Mei had seemed amused at Gaara mentioning his office repair. It couldn't be, could it?

"You two…seem to be getting along well." He observes.

"Yes, Mei's been very…kind. She's taught me many things." Gaara answers neutrally.

"Such as how to break desks during sex, I imagine." He states bluntly.

"Well…I suppose there is no point in hiding it." Mei offers to Gaara.

"Yes, he is my lover. If you'd like to make an issue of it, I'll introduce you to my Boiling Release."

"He is…young. But of age. I don't have an issue with it. Who you take to your bed is solely your concern. But I do wonder if the two of you are not conspiring against me." He says.

"Conspiring against you?! How dare you?! Don't be absurd." Mei growls at him.

"How could you accuse us of such a thing? We are allies! We fought side by side with you during the war." Gaara snarls at him.

"You are both all too willing to accept Sasuke Uchihas as being partially in control of the Leaf Village. It makes me wonder if perhaps he has not threatened you or bought the two of you off." He replies.

SMACK! Mei raises her hand to the Raikage. While she didn't have Tsunade's monstrous strength, she was also a Kage. The phrase hit like a girl obviously hadn't been invented by someone who had felt the fury of Mei's fist.

"YOU STRUCK ME!" He roars.

"You deserved it." Gaara mutters without pity.

"He's right. You did. We've been friends for years. I can not believe you would accuse me of such a thing. Your paranoia is going to get you killed. Better I smack some sense into you, than the Uchiha drive a sword straight through your heart." She warns him.

"Perhaps you are the one who has taken leave of your senses. You are actually going along with this foolishness. You struck me, another Kage. You are defending that damn demon!" He snarls at her and goes in for an attack.

The sand lashes out and sends him flying. Gaara was not amused to put it mildly. He understood the Raikage's concerns. He really did. He shared them in all honesty. But he wasn't going to risk a Civil War over an assassination attempt that would likely end in failure. He certainly wasn't going to put up with his lover being disrespected in such a fashion either.

"If you try to touch her again, I will kill you." The red head warns him.

"YOU WOULD KILL ANOTHER KAGE? YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN THE UCHIHA!" He thunders in outrage.

"You are on dangerous ground. How dare you compare Gaara to Sasuke?!" Mei screams at him.

"I dare! The Uchiha killed a Kage in cold blood. The Kazekage just threatened my life." He states.

"He threatened you because you threatened me. That's hardly the same as going off to kill a Kage for no reason." She growls.

"You are both impossible! You've both taken leave of your senses. Has the Uchiha bewitched you both?" He asks and seems to be seriously considering the possibility that Sasuke might have put them both under some kind of brainwashing jutsu.

"I suggest you leave before I lose my temper. No good will come of continuing this conversation presently." Gaara warns him.

"I shall take my leave. I hope you both return to your senses soon. I hear that Hinata is pregnant. We can not allow that cursed clan to continue. We must do something about this situation at once." He urges them.

"Did you just threaten a pregnant woman?" Mei demands to know.

"You can't possibly think that we should allow such a child to come to term. He or she will have the Byakugan, Sharingan, possibly both, or even a new bloodline. They will be raised by a psychotic father. That child will be a terror to all Five Nations." He continues.

"It's one thing to want the father dead. It's another to threaten an innocent baby. I've changed my mind. Mei if you wish to turn him into a scratching post, you may." Gaara says.

Naruto greets Sasuke and Hinata when they arrive home. Sasuke seemed smug. Naruto thought it must have went well.

"So boy or girl?" He asks curiously.

"Twins." Hinata says with a smile.

"Twins?! Holy shit! God damn bastard do you have to be an overachiever on everything?" Naruto teases.

"Both boys." Sasuke ignores the question in favor of wrapping his arms around Hinata.

"Oh well that's good. I don't think the Leaf could handle two female Sasuke's running around." He sighs in relief.

"What makes you think they'll take after Sasuke? They could take after me." Hinata asks.

"Oh good point. In that case, it wouldn't be too bad. But is everything going alright? They are healthy and everything?" He questions.

"Tsunade says they are perfectly healthy. She's due in March." Sasuke answers.

"Oh good. Wait did you feel that?" Naruto asks suddenly his expression going seriously.

"Chakra. Lots of it. Gaara's?" Sasuke tilts his head to the side, as if trying to recognize if it was indeed the Kazekage's chakra signature.

"Yeah that's Gaara's alright. The Kages were supposed to meet us later today. Looks like they arrived early. Feels like Gaara is pissed about something. I better go. Bastard, you should probably stay here with Hinata. The Raikage is far from your biggest fan." The blonde warns him.

"I will. If you need me…send up a flare." Sasuke says and wraps his arms around Hinata tighter.

"I will. Hopefully we can get this all sorted out." The blonde says.

"I hope so." Hinata mumbles and leans into her husband's embrace.

"It'll be alright! Believe it!" Naruto says with a big grin.

"That sounds as stupid today as when you were twelve. You are such a loser." Sasuke taunts.

"QUIET BASTARD! IT SOUNDS AWESOME AND YOU KNOW IT." He shouts.

"Whatever. Loser. You better get going. Something is up. Gaara doesn't flare his chakra like that for no good reason." Sasuke points out.

"Yeah. You're right." Naruto says and he takes off running towards to the other Kages.


	21. Chapter 21

Opportunity

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. XD I really wish I could respond to guest reviewers directly sometimes. But Shisui did bring up a good idea for a story. What would you guys think about a story were Kakashi adopts Sasuke either formerly or informally after the massacre? It would be a Sasuke x Hinata pairing. I think I'm going to give that one a go. I hope the guest reviewer sees it when I put it up. Which would probably be in the next day or so. For those of you that wanted Sasuke and Hinata to have a daughter or daughters, don't worry. Like Naruto says, Sasuke is such an overachiever.

Chapter 21

Sasuke blinks when they arrive on the scene. It looked like Gaara and Mei were having a heated argument with the Raikage. That was odd.

The three of them normally got along well. Though Sasuke did get the impression the Raikage viewed Gaara somewhat as a child due to his age. He'd never seen them actually fight before, even if it was only verbally.

Sasuke and Naruto had clearly come in at the end of the conversation. If you could call it a conversation. It was more like a feud.

 _"Did you just threaten a pregnant woman?"_ Sasuke hears Mei say and feels his blood practically boil with rage.

 _"You can't possibly think that we should allow such a child to come to term. He or she will have the Byakugan, Sharingan, possibly both, or even a new bloodline. They will be raised by a psychotic father. That child will be a terror to all Five Nations."_ The Raikage explains and Naruto had to hold Sasuke back from killing him on sight.

 _"It's one thing to want the father dead. It's another to threaten an innocent baby. I've changed my mind. Mei if you wish to turn him into a scratching post, you may."_ Well Sasuke thought to himself when he overheard Gaara's response, at least the red head had some fucking common sense.

"So it's come to this. You would choose that demon's spawn over me? So much for loyalty." He mutters and gets into a defensive position.

"We did not choose anyone over you. You made this decision for yourself. If you cease this foolishness, we can all walk away now." Gaara says.

"You are both the ones being foolish. Do you honestly think the Uchiha's child is going to be anything but a terror upon the land?" He demands to know.

"The child is also Hinata's and she's the picture of kindness. Besides, children are not mirror copies of their parents in most cases. It's quite possible he or she would be nothing like either of them." Mei offers.

"Do you really want to take that chance? We aren't rolling dice here! People's lives could be at stake and you want to gamble like that?" He thunders at her.

"Don't yell at her." Gaara hisses.

"Do not raise your voice to me. I was ruling over my village before you were born, brat!" He snarls.

"So now it comes out. You view my age as a weakness." The red head says and twitches.

Oh he'd always known deep down, that there were those who thought him too young to lead. Most of them were too smart to risk his ire by actually saying so though. Still the remark stung and pissed him off. His sand flurries around him in anger.

Gaara was trying to remind himself that the Raikage was just angry He viewed himself as doing what was right for all the villages. He didn't actually mean what he had just sad. It was angry talking. But Gaara's heart and pride would not hear it.

"It can be a liability at times. You are letting your emotions cloud your judgment." He says.

"And what is your assessment of my actions? Am I misguided by youth's passion as well?" Mei snarls outraged on her lover's behalf.

"You are misguided by another kind of passion altogether. I do not blame you. It is only natural to want to side with your lover. But you are both wrong on this. You both know I am right. It is distasteful to have attack a pregnant woman, but it has to be done." He tells them.

"I've had enough of this!" Gaara says and his sand lashes out at the Raikage.

The Raikage was surprisingly fleet of foot for a man of his size. He managed to dodge. Mei sends a boiling release at him. Gaara had attacked. The time for words was over. There was no going back at this point.

"Naruto, let me go. That man just threatened my sons!" Sasuke growls at him.

"Sasuke, you've already killed the Stone Kage. Do you want people to think you are some sort of Kage Serial Killer?" He asks.

"I don't give a fuck what they think. He's dead." Sasuke growls.

"Sasuke." Naruto says warningly.

"Some things are NOT negotiable." The Uchiha snaps at him.

"Let them handle it. It's already two against one. Gaara and Mei are no lightweights." He tries to reason with him.

"I know. It's going to be three against one now. Amaterasu!" Sasuke shouts and suddenly the black flames burst into being and hurtle straight at the Raikage.

"Not good." Gaara says.

' "Really not good. My love?" Mei asks and doesn't need to finish what she was thinking, it was obvious.

The female Kage wanted them to get out of the way. Sasuke had probably overheard their conversation. Sasuke was pissed.

A ninja's paternal instincts were awesome in their fury and intensity. And because this was Sasuke, that was more than likely going to be taken to an even greater extreme. She didn't want her lover to get caught in the crossfire.

Gaara nods. He knew what Mei was trying to say. The red head honestly wasn't eager to take up arms against another Kage and his former friend. But there was not going to be any stopping Sasuke.

Say what you want about him, but he did want to restore his clan. The Raikage had just threatened his child. He was going to die. There was no force on this Earth that was going to change that. Not even Naruto.

"How pathetic. A Kage is scared two children who haven't even drawn their first breath yet." Sasuke snarls at him.

"TWO?!" The Raikage howls in outrage.

"Twins. Like the loser says, I'm an overachiever." Sasuke charges at the Raikage, a Chidori already formed.

"MEI! GAARA! You are going to let TWO demons roam the countryside?!" He yells at them.

"This is not going to be pretty. Advert your eyes." Gaara tells Mei.

"Excuse me?" Mei asks.

"A lady should not be subjected to whatever the Uchiha is going to do to him." The red head clarifies.

"…I survived the war. Trust me, I have seen carnage. There is nothing the Uchiha is going to do that is going to make me squeamish. I can't believe you possess such an outdated version of chivalry." She says, taken aback.

"You've seen many horrific things, I'm sure. But you haven't seen Uchiha level of carnage. This is going to be gruesome." Gaara warns her.

"Bastard, come on! We can talk about this! Besides, what are we going to do if you kill him? Someone's going to have to take over his village. They are going to want to know what happened to him!" The blonde yells.

"I'm done talking. We'll figure something out." He says and at the moment, the Raikage thought he was staring into the eyes of Satan himself.

He'd never seen eyes so full of hatred and rage. Eyes the color of blood with actual blood sliding down his face from using that attack. If there was ever any doubt that Sasuke Uchiha was a demon, this would erase that completely from his mind. That was his last thought, before Sasuke drove a Chidori right through his heart. But in one final show of defiance, the Raikage managed to drive his own fist straight through Sasuke's chest. He missed the heart, but it should be enough to kill him. He died with a smile on his face.

Sasuke chokes on his own blood. Naruto rushes down there and carries Sasuke to the hospital. Dammit! Dammit!

Gaara uses his sand to dig a hole deep enough to hide the Raikage's body for now. They needed to come up with a plausible explanation. But for now, Naruto needed him. He follows the blonde, with Mei running alongside the red head.

The medics take Sasuke in quickly. It was after all their job to patch people up, no matter who it was. That and none were dumb enough to argue with Naruto when he was clearly in so much pain.

"Someone's gotta tell Hinata." Naruto mutters.

"I will do it." Mei offers.

"Thanks." He says and nods his head at Mei, as she takes off.

"He'll be fine. If there is one thing I know about the Uchiha, he's hard to kill. After everything he's been through, I highly doubt that will be what ends him. Besides, he has children now. He's got a reason to fight." Gaara tries to reassure Naruto.

Mei races to the Uchiha District. She quickly finds Hinata. The older woman bites her lower lip. This wasn't going to be easy for the bluenette to hear.

"Hinata, you need to come to the hospital quickly. Sasuke has been injured, badly." She tells her.

"What happened?!" She asks.

"There's really no time to explain. We have to go now." She says and the Hyuga…well Uchiha (by marriage) didn't need to be told twice, immediately followed the Kage.

"Uh oh. It's the wife." One of the medics say.

"The pregnant wife. This isn't going to be fun." A second medic replies.

"I'll explain this to her." The first medic says and goes to greet Hinata.

"I'm sorry. Someone punched a hole through his chest. They missed the heart. But it would normally still be a fatal wound. However, this is Sasuke Uchiha and he was brought the hospital quickly. There may still be a chance he can survive this. But you are going to have to stay out of the operating room for us to work." He says all that in one breath.

Hinata gives a shaky nod. Thankfully, Naruto was right there. He holds her steady. The blonde wasn't sure, but he thought her knees might give out on her. Hinata clearly hadn't taken the news well. Well if he was in her position, he probably would be trying to barge into the operating room. But Hinata was well a practical woman. She understood the doctors needed to work.

Hours later, a medic comes out of the room. Hinata rises to her feet instantly. He walks over to her.

"We've stabilized him. It's a good thing that the hospital wasn't experiencing a blood shortage. He lost a lot of blood. You can see him now if you wish. He's currently asleep. It's not a pretty sight, I'm afraid." The medic warns her.

Hinata darts into the room immediately. She ignored the warning. Sasuke was laying on the bed. But that Sasuke on the bed was so different from the man she was used to waking up next to every morning.

' Sasuke had always had a fair complexion. But now his skin was practically ashen white. He had lost a lot of blood, just as the medic said. His face was grimaced in pain, even in his sleep. She couldn't see the injury itself. But there were a lot of bandages. She could only conclude that was a massive hole in his chest.

"Hin-ata?" Sasuke asks, opening his eyes slowly.

He had heard someone crying. He was sure of it. It sounded like Hinata. It took all his strength to do so, but he managed to open his eyes. Yes, it was the kitten. Yes, she was crying.

"You're awake!" She exclaims and hugs him tightly.

"AHHHH! H-inata too tight. You are holding me too tightly. The injury! Fuck!" He hisses.

"Oh sorry." She mumbles hastily and releases the death grip.

"It's okay. The important thing is our family is safe now." He states.

"What are you talking about?" She asks.

"It doesn't matter. It's over now. I don't want you to stress yourself. It's not good for the twins." He informs her.

"You don't want me to stress myself when you have a giant hole in your chest and nearly died?!" She asks in disbelief.

"I didn't die though. I'm a survivor." He reassures her.

"You are impossible! That's what you are." She snaps at him.

"Should you really be yelling at me when I have a _giant hole in my chest?"_ He asks mockingly.

"Now, I know you are going to be okay. Your sarcastic sense of humor is still intact." She breathes a sigh of relief.

"Lay with me, Kitten." He tells her.

"Alright. But we'll have to be careful." She looks at all those bandages warily, as if she expected them to turn into vipers and bite them both.

"Careful isn't really in my vocabulary." He informs her.

"I know." She says as she crawls into the bed and soon lays by Sasuke.

Sasuke smiles and kisses her forehead. It still hurt like Hell. But he had his family next to him. That was all that matters. He feels himself drifting off into sleep. A healing sleep. His body needed it.

Slowly but surely, Sasuke's chest healed as Hinata's belly grew rounder. Both Asa and Sasuke were constantly fascinated by this. Sasuke at least had the decency to keep it to mostly belly rubs. Asa, well her curiosity was not so easily satisfied. She must have been asking a thousand questions a day and was constantly trying to talk to the twins. (Did she actually expect an answer, Sasuke wondered?)

"Well it wasn't easy bastard, but we convinced his village that an assassin got him. Found a body of a lightning affinity type of ninja. Told them that he was the assassin. He's dead, so it's not like he can plead his innocence." Naruto informs him.

"Good. Surprised you were able to stall for so long while you came up with an answer." The Uchiha muses.

"Oh it wasn't easy. Most of them thought he had gotten kidnapped, I guess. But we managed. How's Hinata doing?" He asks, knowing that Hinata was close to her due date.

"She's restless and a bit jumpy. I can't blame her. The boys apparently like to kick, a lot." Sasuke answers.

"Well that's good. Means they are healthy." Naruto offers.

"Yeah. She gets the strangest cravings too." Sasuke continues.

"Like what?" Naruto wonders.

"Strawberry ice cream." He answers.

"What's so strange about that?" The blonde questions.

"On a pumpkin pie." He finishes.

"That is a little weird." He answers.

"I'm assuming one of the boys likes strawberry ice cream and the other pumpkin pie." Sasuke says sagely.

"So you ready for this? I mean the whole being a father thing?" He asks.

"It's a little late to ask that now when she's nine fucking months pregnant." Sasuke points out.

"Yeah. But still. It's a big step. Just don't be a bastard to your kids like you are to everyone else who isn't Hinata." He says cheerfully.

"You really are such a loser." Sasuke scoffs.

"SASUKE! HELP!" Hinata calls out.

Naruto was truly impressed by how fast Sasuke could move. He had always known the other ninja was fast. But damn, he wouldn't be surprised if Sasuke had just broken the sound barrier. Holy fuck!

"What is it?" Sasuke asks Hinata anxiously.

"My water just broke. I need to get to the hospital." She informs him.

Sasuke didn't need to be told twice. He darts outside the house, with Hinata in his arms. He got her to the hospital in less than a minute. Naruto blinks and follows along.

Childbirth was not a pretty sight. Naruto fainted during the delivery. Sasuke rolls his eyes at Naruto's squeamishness. He lets out a yip of pain when Hinata's grip on his hand, almost crushed it.

"It's okay Kitten. I'm right here." He tells her.

"AHHHH!" She screams in pain.

Sasuke winces. He didn't like hearing her in such agony. But he knew that childbirth was painful. He wasn't completely oblivious about the facts of life like Naruto. He told her that she should take some of the pain meds. But Hinata was insistent on doing it the natural way.

For some reason she thought that the drugs might hurt their twins because of the Byakugan and/or Sharingan. Sasuke wasn't sure where she got this idea from. He pawned it off to the worries of a first time mother.

"Push!" The medic instructs her.

"How about I push you out the window?!" Hinata growls.

"…" Sasuke didn't know how to react to seeing his wife threaten a medic. (He was torn between laughing his ass off and being terrified really.)

"I can see the head! Push!" The medic says, ignoring that threat.

Hinata cries out and soon her cries were joined by the cries of a newborn baby. The medic hands the newborn to the nurse to give it the standard once over to make sure nothing was wrong.

"Alright, push again! This should be easier because his older brother cleared the way for him." The medic continues.

"She's going to kill you if you keep this up. You realize that, right?" Sasuke asks.

"Oh all women in childbirth issue threats like that. She wouldn't be human if she didn't." He states cheerfully.

"AHHHHHH!" Hinata cries out again and soon the sounds of another baby crying are heard.

The nurse quickly takes that one and gives him the once over. Sasuke waits anxiously. He kisses Hinata and tries to soothe her by whispering praise at her.

Sasuke found himself glad that he wasn't a woman after seeing and hearing all that. Childbirth sounded dreadful. He'd rather face Madara again than experience it personally.

"Congratulations. You have two healthy baby boys. Poor woman, the eldest was 9 pounds and the youngest was 8." He exclaims.

"I want my sons now." Hinata says.

"Of course. Of course. But first let's get you cleaned up. Sasuke you can hold them while we do so." He says and hands Sasuke the twins.

Sasuke nods and looks down at his sons. It was the first time he got a good look at them. The eldest had Hinata's blue hair but his onyx eyes. He even had Itachi's markings on his cheeks. The youngest had Sasuke's raven black hair and the trademark lavender eyes of the Hyuga clan. There was a gentleness about his face, that resembled his mother.

"Their perfect Hinata. Just like their mother." He murmurs at her and rocks them in his arms.

He couldn't help but marvel that he had helped to create two such tiny, innocent looking beings. Innocent hadn't been a word he could apply to himself in well over a decade. He figured this was Hinata's influence.

They were both so fragile. He felt a surge of protectiveness. He really should have drug the Raikage's death out longer trying to take his sons away from him.

"I want to see them!" Hinata says and clearly wasn't happy about the medic deciding she needed cleaned up before she could hold her children.

"You are good now. Sasuke, perhaps you should let your wife see them before she attempts to kill me?" The medic asks.

Sasuke smiles and walks over to Hinata. He gently places their sons in her arms. He was glad she was laying against the bed, which had been partially propped up so she could sit. The woman had just given birth to two healthy sized boys. Sasuke had no idea where she found the strength to even remain conscious at this point.

She smiles at them and proceeds to nurse them. Sasuke felt a bit sorry for his sons. They were going to be spoiled from the get go. He really hoped that they didn't think all breasts were as perfect as Hinata's. He chuckles at the thought.

"What's so funny?" She asks him.

"Nothing. It's nothing, Kitten." He says and brushes the bangs away from her eyes affectionately.

"No, I want to know." She insists.

"It's just I hope they don't get spoiled. It's rare to find a woman with breasts like yours." He states honestly and this causes Hinata to chuck a pillow at him.

"You asked." He says with a laugh.

"Mmm I guess so. What shall we call them?" She questions.

"The blue haired one has Itachi's markings on his face. I'd like to name him after Itachi, if that's alright with you. The younger one has Hyuga eyes. We could name him after Neji." He says.

Sasuke hadn't really known Neji well. But he was aware that the other ninja had sacrificed himself to save Naruto and Hinata. Without Neji's sacrifice, he never would have the opportunity to fall in love with Hinata or his sons. The man deserved a thank you and this was the only way that Sasuke really knew how to honor him.

"Itachi and Neji. I like that. That way they'll be remembered." She says with a smile.

Sasuke nods and rolls his eyes. Looks like Naruto was finally regaining his consciousness. He looks around in confusion.

"You missed most of it loser. Two boys. Both healthy. We named them and everything while your dumbass was passed out." Sasuke taunts him.

"Hinata, are you okay? That looked horrible!" Naruto says.

"I'm fine Naruto. I feel weak but it was worth it. Come look at them." She says with a smile.

"Awe they are so cute. Good thing they took after you and not this ugly bastard." Naruto says.

WHACK. Naruto yelps. The blonde was now nursing a nasty bump on his head. Sasuke was twitching.

"Do you mind if Asa and Akira come in?" Gaara asks, peeking his head through the door.

"Hinata?" Sasuke asks.

"Let them in." She says with a smile.

Asa and Akira come bounding in. The two were ever inseparable. Both had giant lollipops in their hands. Gaara gives Sasuke a look like, _Well I had to do something to keep them calm?_ Sasuke shakes his head in amusement.

"They are so cute!" Asa chirps merrily and rushes over.

Akira follows his friend. He wanted to get a better look too. Curiosity was a powerful force, especially in childhood.

"You are amazing." Sasuke tells Hinata.

"You have a lot of pampering to do to make up for what I just went through she responds.

"Anything you want." He replies.

"We'll start with a nice bubble bath and a back massage." She begins.

"I like where this is going." He says.

"…Damn bastard, you really take that whole clan restoration thing seriously. She just had twins and already you two are planning to jump each other!" Naruto says.

"She'll need time to heal. I'd say 4-6 weeks before you could resume full intimacy." The medic says.

"Well there are ways to pamper her without going for a homerun and…" he whispers something to Hinata that makes her go bright red.

"What'd that bastard say to you?" Naruto asks.

"It's nothing." She stammers.

Sasuke was a creative person when he wanted to be. There was more than one way to make love. He smirks at how scandalized his wife was at the suggestion. How she could still blush like a virgin, he had no idea. But it was…cute.

"I WANT TO SEE THE HATCHLINGS!" Aoda cries out from the window.

"What the?" Hinata and Naruto asks.

"Sorry. It's Aoda. I guess he wants to see the kids." Sasuke says and rubs the back of his head.

"Is that safe?" The medic asks, not sure how he felt about two newborn babies next to a snake the size of the hospital.

"Yes, it's safe. Aoda loves kids." Sasuke says.

"Well…if you think it's safe." Hinata says uncertainly and lets Sasuke carry them over to be inspected by the giant summon.

"They are adorable hatchlings and resemble their parents so strongly." He muses.

Itachi and Neji tilt their heads. That wasn't the mother, the father… or the strange man and woman who pricked with needles. What was he? They reach out their chubby hands curiously.

"And so brave. Yes, they are fine hatchlings. Pleased you had them in March. Spring is just starting. There will be lots of food and warm weather for their first few months." Aoda states.

"…Thank you Aoda." Sasuke says.

He didn't have the heart to inform the snake that the month didn't really matter. They were humans, not animals. It's not like they had to go out and hunt to feed their children. Neither child would be sleeping outside in the cold either. But it was the thought that counted. Aoda meant well. Sasuke knew that. And as an added bonus, he'd make a fine babysitter.


	22. Chapter 22

Opportunity

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. This chapter will take place a month after Itachi and Neji were born. For those of you that are interested, _**Love Conquers All**_ is now up. Sasuke x Hinata. Kakashi took Sasuke in after the massacre. So we get to see what sort of impact that would have had on his development. Oh and the newest chapter of _**White Lace**_ is also up. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I know one reader in particular has been dying for some fluffy family moments.

Chapter Notation: :P I was a formula baby. But it has been proven breast milk is better overall from a scientific perspective. No offense was intended for anyone else who was a formula baby or feeds their baby/babies that way was intended. That scene was done for comic purposes.

Chapter 22

"He is absolutely hopeless with the hatchlings." Aoda mutters as Sasuke returns home.

Sasuke had to deal with the representative from the Land of Iron. The Samurai oddly enough seemed to trust Sasuke more than Naruto. Probably because he had reached out to them, when most ninjas largely ignored samurais. Hinata had to help at the hospital. So she had suggested they have Naruto babysit. (Because Aoda having no arms, would have a hard time by himself.)

"What'd he do this time?" Sasuke asks and raises an eyebrow.

"He has been trying to change their disposable skin for the past hour with no success." Aoda says.

Disposable skin meant diaper in snake apparently. Oh boy. That loser really was clueless. Sasuke says and bounds into the house.

"Alright loser. I don't get what is so damn complicated about this. Watch." Sasuke says and promptly changes Neji's diaper.

It was…probably one of the least pleasant tasks about parenting. But Sasuke was nothing if not efficient. He got it over with fast. He loved his sons fiercely. But he had to admit, he would be very happy once they were old enough to use the bathroom on their own.

"How the Hell did you do that?" Naruto asks.

"Practice. You get used to it. Did you at least manage to feed them without destroying the house?" He questions.

"Yeah. I mean that's not hard. Hinata left some bottles. I can't believe she actually fills them herself. Wouldn't it just be easier to use formula?" He asks.

"Yes, it would. But it's better for the babies to have the real thing." Sasuke says.

"Whatever. I was given formula and I turned out fine." Naruto says.

"I rest my case. It is better for the babies, especially their brain development." He says with a smirk.

"YOU BASTARD!" Naruto lunges at him.

Hinata blinks when she gets home. She heard Naruto's calls of, _YOU BASTARD._ They were at it again. She looks at Aoda like do I want to know? The giant snake just shakes his head no.

"Naruto, if you would stop trying to kill my husband and the father of my children, I'd be very grateful." She says with a smile.

"Oh hey, Hinata. I wasn't going to kill him. I was just going to kick his ass for being a bastard." Naruto says cheerfully.

"Like he COULD kill me." Sasuke scoffs and strides over to his wife's side, place a quick kiss on her lips.

She smiles and kisses back. Some things never changed. Naruto and Sasuke were always going to bicker. It was such an…unusual friendship. But it was a strong bond. One that couldn't be broken even by Sasuke kidnapping Naruto for awhile.

"I hope the boys didn't give you too much trouble?" She asks.

"Nah. They were fine…other than the diaper thing. I still say they are way too cute to be the bastard's." Naruto states cheekily.

WHACK. Sasuke whacks Naruto for that remark. The loser had that one coming. The Uchiha Patriarch was not going to tolerate such comments from the dumb blonde.

"OWE! That hurt! See what I mean?" Naruto asks.

"Thank you for watching them." She says and shakes her head in amusement.

"No problem! Anytime!" He says and heads off.

Sasuke scoops up Itachi and Hinata grabs Neji. They head to their room. Sasuke leans back against the bed and pulls Hinata and by extension their sons into his arms. He wraps his arms around Hinata and Hinata holds their twins. It was a ritual of sorts.

Hinata knew Sasuke was overprotective. So she supposed she should have seen this coming. According to Sasuke, he didn't want her to "overexert herself."

Neji and Itachi were growing fast. Personally, she thought that it was a combination of Sasuke being overprotective, wanting to bond more with his new family, and of course…he just in general was fond of her breasts.

"Their getting so big." He murmurs and kisses her neck affectionately.

"Mmm they do grow Sasuke. You didn't really expect them to stay the same size forever, did you?" She laughs.

"Yeah I know. Still. But they are still so tiny. I can't believe I helped to make something so small and innocent." He smiles and tickles Neji's tummy.

For some reason, Neji liked having his belly rubbed while he was eating. Sasuke thought maybe it sped up digestion or something. Itachi enjoyed having his tiny hands and feet played with.

"You know I'm not going to let you pull what you did with Asa." She informs him.

"What do you mean?" He asks.

"Teaching them how to use real kunais that early." She says.

"Hinata, they are our children. I'm sure they will be naturals. Besides, I'll be there. I'm going to try to teach them the fireball jutsu when they turn five. If they can't do it, then I'll wait till they are six or seven." He muses thoughtfully.

"Sasuke you don't teach a five year old how to spit fire!" She protests.

"My father taught me before the massacre. It's a tradition. Besides, the house is fireproof." He assures her.

"That's not the point! What if they get into a fight at school or something and they burn the other kid?" She asks.

"Then I guess they will have won the fight." He offers.

"Sasuke!" She growls warningly.

"Boys tell your mother that you are perfectly capable of learning how to play with fire responsibly." He says.

Itachi and Neji coo. They didn't know what their parents were talking about. But it didn't matter. They were nice, warm, well fed, and enjoying the attention. Mommy and daddy could be silly sometimes. But they were a good mommy and daddy.

"See? They agree with me." He says smugly.

"Uh huh. Because there is no other way to interpret newborns cooing than them agreeing that they can handle fireball jutsus?" She asks.

"Exactly." He says with a nod.

She shakes her head in amusement. Sasuke was well…adorable with their kids. If he wasn't with Naruto performing some Kage duty, he was watching them like a hawk.

"Alright. But I'm going to be there when you try to teach them. I want to make sure nothing goes wrong." She tells him.

He seemed quite fond of doing _The Hawk._ (Which was the ninja version of the airplane. The father would lift the child over his head and make motions like the kid was flying.) She had to admit that she was rather skittish of this game at first. But the kids did seem to genuinely enjoy it, judging by their loud giggling.

"Hinata, my family has been teaching the fireball jutsu to our children for centuries. Nothing is going to go wrong. But if you want to watch, then that's fine." He concedes.

He was also…rather scientific in his approach to parenting. Sasuke wasn't an academic by nature. He didn't read for the fun of it. But she had seen the parenting and child development books.

He thought he had hid them, he wasn't that sneaky. You couldn't hide anything from the Byakugan. She couldn't believe he was actually checking off various milestones in the books. It was cute though.

"Good because that wasn't optional." She says.

"Your mother is cute when she tries to pretend to be a tigress. But she's really just a kitten." He says and plays with Itachi's toes, while rubbing Neji's belly.

"Come on boys. It's time for bed. Mommy needs to teach daddy a lesson." She murmurs and scoops them up, taking them to the nursery.

Charger, Snowball (the white dog he mated), and the puppies were there. She smiles. They were such loyal guard dogs. Hinata sets them down in their cribs.

 **Warning Lemon**

Sasuke laughs when Hinata walks back in their room. Like she was actually going to do anything? Oh she did look determined though. This could be funny.

"Strip now." She commands him.

"As much as I like where I think this is going, you sure? The doctor said 4-6 weeks." He reminds her.

"It's a been a month. Besides, you are asking for it." She tells him.

"I'll be gentle." He says.

"Good because I'm not going to be!" She replies.

Frustrated with Sasuke's lack of compliance, she shoves him onto the bed. Sasuke's stunned expression was almost comical. But she quickly grabs the chakra cuffs and slams them onto him.

"Alright. Alright. I get it. You have claws kitten." He murmurs and squirms when Hinata rips off his clothes.

He'd never seen Hinata this aggressive before. He felt his Sharingan activate and well the southern part of his body was also activating. There was something very hot about seeing his normally very shy, sweet wife go all dominatrix on him.

Hinata couldn't help but admire her husband's naked form. She felt a surge of pride. Out of all of the women that had thrown themselves at him, she was the one that he wanted. But she still had to punish him for that kitten crack. She couldn't let him believe she was a pushover.

"All mew and no bite." He says in a cocky fashion, when he realizes she wasn't doing anything yet.

Hinata huffs. She takes Sasuke into her hand and strokes as she bites into his neck. It wasn't a harsh bite. A love bite really. But Sasuke clearly hadn't been expecting that. He groaned and bucked into her hand. Hmm so he liked being bitten. That was new.

"What was that?" She taunts him.

"Mmm alright. Maybe you have a little bite. Come on, get me out of these things." He tells her.

"I don't know. I kinda like having the mighty Sasuke Uchiha tied up and completely at my mercy." She states and places a trail of butterfly kisses over his chest, occasionally nipping.

"Hinata, you are being a really fucking evil tease right now. Come on." He growls.

"You are really sensitive. I wonder what the others would say if they knew how easy it was to get you hard?" She teases him and sucks on the tip of his manhood.

"FUCK!" He hisses in pleasure and bucks.

"Maybe. Are you sorry for that kitten comment?" She asks.

"Hinata, th-at's not playing fair and you know it." He pants.

Like any man was going to argue with his lover when she had him in her mouth. Fuck that felt good. Sasuke was suddenly in the mood try for a daughter two. It was important to have a balanced gender ratio in the clan after all.

"Was that an apology?" She asks and sucks harder.

"Alright! Alright! I'm sorry. You aren't a kitten. Just take the damn cuffs off me!" He growls.

She smiles. It was fun to tease him. But judging by that growl, if she did it much longer she wasn't going to be able to walk for at least a week. Hinata uncuffs him. Sasuke didn't waste any time pouncing.

Hinata let's out a startled meep. Sasuke pins her to the bed and kisses her hungrily. His hands start roaming everywhere from her breasts which he treated to mostly gentle caresses, to gliding over her stomach, grabbing her ass in a rougher fashion, and parting her legs. As much as he wanted to screw her straight into the mattress, he knew that it was a good idea to get her as worked up as he was. He was surprised to find her already wet.

"You got off on teasing me." He accuses.

"Maybe a little." She admits.

"Well two can play that game." He says and starts lavishing her with his warm, rough tongue.

"Nhh! N-ot fair." She cries out and squirms as she feels liquid hot desire rush through her.

Sasuke might not have been much of a talker. But he was VERY good at using his tongue, when properly motivated. She pants and moans. Sasuke smirks when he tastes her arousal on his tongue. Like everything about Hinata, it was sweet. Hinata was the only sweet thing he liked.

As much as he would have preferred to draw out the exquisite torture, his own arousal was growing painful. Damn fucking tease. He sits on his knees and throws her legs over his shoulders. He plunges into her, drawing a moan from both.

He'd never get tired of this, he thought as he slammed into her hidden depths. The way she moaned. The way she arched against him. The way she felt around him. God, he missed this.

Hinata pants out his name and clutches onto the blankets for dear life. When you yank a tiger by their tail, they were going to respond. And fuck did he respond!

That's when he hit that spot that made her see stars behind her eyes. She screams in pleasure as she reaches her own climax, Sasuke joining her in unison. He releases her legs from his shoulders and slides out of her. Sasuke pulls her against his chest and nuzzles her.

"Next time you pull something like that, it's a spanking and the chakra again." He informs her, causing Hinata to blush.

 **End of Lemon**

Gaara was visiting the Leaf with Mei. Mostly he wanted to make sure that Sasuke and Naruto hadn't killed each other yet. He also figured, that he had a duty to inform his best friend that the two Kages were getting married next month and that Mei was expecting.

"No way! You two are getting married? Why so soon though? I mean I kinda figured that Mei would wanna go all out." Naruto asks.

"I'm pregnant." She answers.

"Ohhh. Wow! Wait you can still get pregnant? I thought women couldn't get pregnant if they were pass a certain age." He asks in confusion.

"…Naruto, you deserve what is about to happen. That was stupid." Gaara says.

"Deserve what?" He asks.

SMACK. Naruto got clocked by a twitching Mei. Mei promptly informs him that she was still young enough to get pregnant. She also starts tearing into him about the evils of ageism and wondering what the Hell had been going in with the Leaf while he was in the Academy? Didn't the Leaf teach sex ed?

"That." He says with a chuckle.

"Owe!" He says and rubs his head.

"So how is…everything?" Gaara asks cautiously.

"Pretty good. Sasuke is still a bastard, but less so. You should see him walking around the village with Hinata and that stroller. It's so fucking surreal." Naruto laughs.

"The Uchiha pushing a baby stroller. Now this I have to see." Mei muses.

"That sounds…somewhat disturbing in all honesty. But I am pleased to hear that things are working out. I just wish the Raikage didn't have to die in order for them to do so." He mutters.

"Yeah. Me too." Naruto agrees.

Meanwhile, after some quality cuddling time and a shower, Hinata and Sasuke get dressed. Every day about this time, they took the kids for a walk. Sasuke seemed to believe that routines were good for the kids. Hinata found the sight of Sasuke pushing a stroller to be funny. She wasn't going to argue.

The personalities of the twins were starting to show through more and more. Both clearly loved being outside. But Neji was the shyer of the two. He'd shirk back from strangers. Itachi however, well Itachi had no fucks to give.

He seemed to understand something that his brother did not. His father and mother were nearby, not to mention Aoda. No one was going to mess with him and live. So he knew he was safe. Therefore, he enjoyed the attention. Unless someone pinched his cheeks. Then he would howl like a banshee.

"The hatchlings are growing so fast." Aoda comments.

People in the Leaf were now used to the sight of the giant snake. It had taken awhile, but Aoda was stubborn. He wanted to go for walks with the hatchlings. Sometimes his wife would join them. Apparently Summons could get married? Who knew?

"Yes, they are." Sasuke agrees.

"I told you that March was a good month for hatchlings." He continues.

"Yeah." Sasuke says and shares a look with Hinata that tells her, _Just go with it._

Hinata laughs. She waves when she sees Mei, Gaara, and Naruto approaching. Gaara tilts his head. Oh yeah, seeing the Uchiha pushing a stroller was disturbing. Mei couldn't help but giggle. Naruto was used to it so he bounds over.

"Hey! Bastard, Hinata, Aoda… guess what? Gaara and Mei are getting married and we are invited" He says cheerfully.

"Oh that's wonderful news." Hinata says with a smile.

"Hey, where are Asa and Akira?" He asks.

"At the Academy, you idiot. It's Monday." Sasuke informs him.

"I don't know how you put up with him Hinata. He's so damn abusive." The blonde states.

"Oh he's a little rough around the edges, but when we are alone he's as lovable as a kitten." She says.

"…I deserved that one." He says with a sigh.

"Yes, you did." She smiles and kisses his cheek.

"Yeah. I can't see a kitten Sasuke. But anyway, you guys think you can make it? I know it's a long trip for a couple with newborns and dragging two kids along." Naruto asks.

"Yeah. We can make it." Sasuke says.

"Two sons. Mei is only carrying one child. Which I'm thankful for. Twin pregnancies are higher risk. So I'm told anyway." Gaara muses.

"Do you know the gender yet?" Sasuke asks.

"Too early to tell. I'm happy with either though." The red head answers.

"I'm hoping for a girl." Mei says.

"Mei, as you can see has her heart set on a daughter. I really think she just wants a living doll to play dress up with." The Kazekage says with a sigh.

"Maybe…" Mei admits.

"When are you due?" Hinata asks.

"December." Mei answers.

"Bad month for hatchlings. Way too cold. Food is too scarce." Aoda says.

"Aoda, they live in a DESERT." Sasuke says.

"Oh…then I guess it's an okay month for hatchlings." He says.

"Temperature is very important for hatchlings." The female snake points out.

"Uh huh." Sasuke says.

"Humans really don't understand the importance of proper timing. It's a good thing they have us to look out for them." She says to her mate.

"Yes." He says, nodding his head in agreement.

"Well now that that is over with. Bastard, when you get done with your family bonding, we should probably help Gaara get those invitations out." Naruto says.

"Invitations? Isn't that more Mei's department?" He asks and raises an eyebrow.

"Don't get prissy. You are good at stuff like this. You are really OCD about details and things!" Naruto says.

"Prissy? Did he just call me prissy?" Sasuke asks and looks at Hinata.

"Yes, I think he did." Hinata confirms.

"Ah. Well I'll show you who is the prissy one." Sasuke drags Naruto off to the training grounds.

"Are they always like that?" Mei inquires.

"Always. It's just how they show that they care about each other. You get used to it after awhile." Hinata assures her.

"Oh good. For a second I thought that he was actually angry." She admits.

"Oh believe me, you will know when Sasuke is actually angry." The bluenette replies.

"Yes, your husband does have quite the temper." Gaara observes.

"I know. I think it has something to do with being from a fire clan." Hinata muses.

"CHIDORI!" Sasuke calls out from a distance.

"RASENGAN!" Naruto yells back.

"Oh boy." Hinata says.

"Here we go." Mei chimes in.

"Again." Gaara adds.

"Your daddy can be pretty silly sometimes with Uncle Naruto. But don't worry. They wouldn't actually hurt each other." Hinata tells Itachi and Neji.

"They wouldn't hurt each other? Are you kidding?" Gaara starts ticking off the numerous instances where the two had almost killed each other.

"Alright, they wouldn't actually kill each other. They do play rough sometimes though." She concedes.

"Sometimes?" Mei asks with a chuckle.

"Alright…most of the time." She agrees with a sigh.


	23. Chapter 23

Opportunity

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews guys. This is going to be the epilogue. I was hoping to get 200 reviews. We still might. But that seems unlikely, we'll see though. For those of you who wanted Sasuke and Hinata to have a daughter or daughters, you got it in this chapter. This will be set 20 years after the last chapter. This is the final chapter of this story. Thank you guys for all your support and if you want feel free to check out my other stories. ^^

Chapter 23

Sasuke smiles and holds his wife in his arms as they watch the ceremony. It was a graduation ceremony of sorts, Itachi's. After the war, it was decided that the ties that had been forged in battle should be nurtured.

An international Academy had sprung up. The Academy's job was to teach ninjas how to serve as Ambassadors for their villages. Sasuke found this more practical than the Hokage pointing to someone and saying, _"You're good with people. I trust you. You go."_

"There's Itachi and Akane!"" Amaya says excitedly.

Amaya was one of Sasuke and Hinata's daughters. She was the oldest of the twin girls by a few minutes. Her name meant night rain and with her dark blue hair, the name suited her. She had Sasuke's skin tone and his eyes. But at 15, Sasuke was already growing concerned. She had her mother's figure as well. This was going to be annoying when it came to dealing with boys.

"The crowd really likes them." Emiko says, noting the roaring applause.

Emiko was Sasuke and Hinata's youngest child. Her name meant smiling child and she lived up to it. She was by far the serene of their four children. Rarely, was she not smiling.

She had raven black hair like her fathers, but like Sasuke when he was a child it did have a blue tint to it. Perhaps a really dark midnight blue might have been a more accurate description. It came to her waist, whereas her sisters hair spilled a few inches below her shoulders. Her eyes were the trademark lavender of the Hyuga Clan. Like her slightly older sister, she was also blossoming. Oh yes, boys were going to be very fucking annoying.

"They act like they are the King and Queen of the graduating class." Neji mutters with some amusement.

While his older brother had chosen to become an Ambassador, Neji had become a tracker. He was an amazing sensory type. That combined with his Byakugan made hiding from him almost impossible. A fact which used to drive his siblings crazy when they were younger.

 _Itachi and Neji were ten. They were indulging their younger sisters, who were five in a game of hide and seek. It was good practice for their stealth training. They'd be entering the Academy soon after all._

 _Neji was it. Emiko just wasn't a good hider. She giggled too much. Itachi had to admit, anyone could have found her._

 _Amaya was better though. But she had no real chance. Neji had already become proficient in the Byakugan. But at least she was quieter._

 _So it was up to Itachi to beat Neji at hide and go seek. He found an excellent hiding spot! There was no way that Neji was going to find him before the hour was up. (They decided to put an hour time cap on the game. Otherwise, you could just hiding all day and that wasn't any fun.)_

 _"Found you!" Neji says with a grin._

 _"Dammit! How?" Itachi asks._

 _"Your chakra. I can sense it." He says._

 _"Oh. I'll have to ask dad about how to mask it. Alright, you win." Itachi says with a sigh._

 _"You are never going to beat me at hide and go seek. You might beat me at kunai throwing, but never when it comes to finding things." He says._

 _It was true. Itachi gifted when it came to weapons. Asa had trained him, whenever she visited. She was 16 now and was gone more often than not, on missions. She wasn't his sister by blood, but Sasuke and Hinata had all but adopted her._

 _This meant Akira was around sometimes. That didn't bother the siblings though. They liked Akira. They particularly liked trying to get his explosive tags…This was a fact that never ceased to annoy their beloved mother._

"They are in a way. She's the daughter of two Kages. He's the son of two Kages. It's rare to find two people with such a…pedigree." Asa muses.

Akira rests his head on top of his wife's. He was 28 and she was 26. They'd been married since Asa turned 18. It was a case of "Academy Sweethearts." Everyone heard stories about couples who met in the Academy, fell in love there, and got married. But it was rare to actually see it.

They had been inseparable since the day Akira "saved" her. Sasuke approved of the match because he knew that Akira would protect Asa. Short of himself, there was probably no one who would protect Asa and her children more.

Asa and Akira had a son and daughter. Their daughter was six and just entering the Academy. Their son was three and very…curious. He never stopped asking questions. Well Sasuke knew that all kids were like that at that age. So he didn't think much of it.

"Akane takes after Gaara, at least when it comes to her hair." Hinata says and smiles up at Sasuke.

"Well her name means brilliant red. If nothing else, you have to admit Gaara is…accurate." Sasuke chuckles.

It was true. The Kazekage and Mei's daughter had brilliant red hair. It was the exact same shade as her father's. Only unlike Gaara, who kept his short, she had allowed her hair to flourish. It came all the way to her knees. She had her mother's eyes though.

Akane was able to perform both the lava and boil release that her mother's clan was known for. While, she didn't use sand like her father, her lava functioned in an almost identical manner.

She was…a forced to be reckoned with. Thankfully, she didn't inherit Gaara's homicidal tendencies he had displayed as a child. Which appeared to have all been caused by the One Tails. Mostly, Sasuke just described her as sassy.

"Yes." Hinata agrees.

"Their in love." Neji states.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asks his youngest son with a raised eyebrow.

"Their chakra patterns. They respond to each other, like yours and mother's do. Like Akira and Asa's. When people are in love, they don't notice it but their chakra patterns mirror the other's." He explains.

Sasuke looks at Hinata. His eyes clearly said, _He's your son. You wanna try to put that in English? Is it a Hyuga thing?_

Hinata activates her Byakugan. She'd never heard of such a thing. But Neji was such a sensitive soul. He tended to perceive things most didn't. She blinks and she watches their chakra.

"He has a point. The patterns are nearly identical. But that could just be because they are both happy about graduating." She offers.

"Well I think it's romantic if they are together. Two people from different villages, brought together by the same goal of international unity. It's like Romeo and Juliet…hopefully without the whole dying thing." Emiko says.

"That was the stupidest love story, that I've ever read." Amaya says.

"It was not!" Emiko protests.

"They both died. It all could have been avoided if they had used a decent summon to deliver the message. They were both idiots and in the beginning Romeo was in "love" with someone else because she was beautiful. Then he sees Juliet and forgets about that first person. It's all so stupid." She points out.

"It's romantic because it shows that there are some things, some people worth dying for." Hinata points out.

"It's stupid. Clearly they both should have run away together in the first place." Sasuke decides to weigh in against his better judgment.

"Romantic." Akira offers.

"Stupid." Asa counters.

"Guys! Guys! Let's not argue over a story." Neji says.

They all shrug and return their attention to the ceremony. More and more ninjas were coming out and getting their specialized headbands. The headbands had a symbol them that was a combination of all the Five Great Nations. It marked their special status as Ambassadors.

"So mother, father… I guess now is as good a time as any…" Emiko says.

"As good a time as any for what?" Sasuke asks.

"To tell you I got accepted into the medic program." She says.

"Oh that's wonderful. We are so proud of you." Hinata says beaming.

"As if there was ever any doubt they would accept you." Sasuke says smugly.

Privately, he was relieved. Emiko was far too kind to be a combat ninja. He honestly couldn't see her killing an enemy opponent. He remembered an incident when she was little with a butterfly.

 _Sasuke had come home one day early from work. He saw Emiko in the garden. She was about seven at the time. She was putting something in a jewelry box and had dug a small hole in the ground._

 _"Emiko, what is that you got there?" He asks curiously._

 _"It's a butterfly." She answers._

 _"I don't think a butterfly would like to be put in a box." He tells her._

 _"It's dead. I'm giving it a funeral. It got squished." She says._

 _"…A funeral for a butterfly?" Sasuke asks and looks up at the clouds like Really? Really?_

 _"That's very kind of you. I'm sure the butterfly appreciates that someone was thinking of them." Sasuke offers._

 _He might as well go along with it. He really hoped that she wasn't going to throw a funeral every time someone stepped on an ant or something. Sasuke shakes his head. How had helped to create someone who was so kind…that she mourned a butterfly's death like the butterfly was a person? It had to be Hinata's influence, he decided._

Of all his children, he privately thought that Amaya was the most like him. She was…very goal driven. Maybe a little too much.

Sasuke had always been rivals with Naruto. Amaya had her own rival, his name was Daiki. Daiki meant impressive or grand tree. The name suited him because he had a powerful earth affinity.

Daiki was tall for a fifteen year old boy. He had brown hair that was styled similarly to how Sasuke's when he was a criminal ninja, but his didn't spike in the back. His eyes were a mixture between cinnamon brown and gold.

He was only 15 but already a Jonin like Amaya and Emiko. In conclusion, Daiki was an attractive, powerful male ninja in Amaya's age group. He sighs and smacks his forehead. He could already see where this was going.

As if somehow Daiki could read his thoughts, Sasuke saw him approaching. Hinata couldn't stifle a small laugh. The look on Sasuke's face was priceless.

She places her hand on his like, _Let them be. He's a good boy. He's not dumb enough to try anything with you standing a few feet away._

"Morning, everyone." Daiki would have addressed them all individually but it was a rather large crowd of Uchihas at this point.

"Morning." They call back.

"Hey, Princess. I heard you finally got promoted to Jonin." He says to Amaya.

"Yes, I did." Amaya tells him and crosses her arms, shifting her weight to one hip.

Uh oh. Here we go. Hinata shakes her head in amusement. She knew what was about to happen. Amaya could have been a Jonin last year but she was away on a mission during the exams. So Daiki had become a Jonin first. It was…a sore spot for Amaya who didn't like to be "beaten." She was just highly competitive, like her father.

"Good. Now that you are a big girl, I won't take it easy on you in our matches." He says.

"Excuse me?" She says and twitches.

"I won't hold back." He continues.

"Oh that's it. Father, do you think Itachi would mind if I left for a minute, to kick his ass? It shouldn't take more than 60 seconds." She adds.

"The ceremony is over. He's just shaking hands with well wishers. If Daiki wants to get his daily beating, who am I to stop him?" Sasuke asks with a smirk.

"Thanks!" She says and rushes off with Daiki.

"I say about five years until he's our son-in-law." Hinata says.

"I'd say more like three." Sasuke says with a heavy sigh, his children were growing up so fast and at this rate he'd be a grandfather before he hit 50.

"I know what you are thinking. You'll be the most sexy grandfather ever." She assures him and kisses his forehead.

"And you will be the most beautiful grandmother." He says.

"Hey, Emiko. Congrats on getting into the medic program." Sasuke hears Yuto say.

Yuto was Daiki's brother. He was a year younger. But he was by far the more aggressive of the two. He had blonde hair that was somewhere between Naruto and Minato's style and the same eyes as his older brother. He was an absolute terror on the battlefield.

So yes, this was definitely a case of opposites attracting. Well at least Emiko soothed the savage beast. Thankfully, his daughters hadn't realized that the brothers were interested in more than just sparring partners yet. (And he was oh so glad that Hinata had taught them _The Jutsu_ just in case.)

"Thanks." She says with a smile.

"Maybe we could go to the ramen shop to celebrate after you get done with Itachi's graduation? They have ice cream now." He asks.

"Really? I love ice cream." She says.

"Yeah. They just added it." He continues.

"I'd love to go. " She replies and beams.

Well Itachi had Akane. Daiki had Amaya (whether she knew it or not yet.) It looked like Emiko had Yuto. That meant that Neji was the last one. It was apparently Uchiha Mating Season. Sasuke knew his luck. It was going to be a perfect score. Kids these days…

That's when he saw her. Haru. She was Sai and Ino's daughter. Yes, Sasuke didn't see that one coming either. Moving on.

She had darker blonde hair than her mother's. Somewhere between Ino and Minato's shade actually. Her eyes were also a darker blue. She had her father's fair skin and love of fishnets. Like Sai she was also on the leaner side.

Haru meant spring. He supposed it made sense. That is when flowers bloomed. Ino's family owned a flower shop. Thankfully, Haru wasn't as socially awkward as her father. She was also on Neji's team.

"Neji! I got accepted into the Intelligence Program." She says excitedly.

"That's great news." He says with a smile.

Sasuke recognized that smile. It was the same one he gave Hinata. Alright, that's four for four. Uchiha Clan restoration achieved.

"Do you mind if I join the others? They are going out to celebrate graduation." Itachi asks once he joins his family.

"No. Go have fun." Hinata says, beaming.

"It's okay with me." Sasuke agrees.

"Thanks!" He says and hugs his parents before darting off to join his friends.

Akane smiles at him when he joins the group. The two walk off hand in hand. Yeah, there was just one problem. Daddy saw that.

Gaara heads over to Sasuke. There were certain obligations that a man had as a father. This was ESPECIALLY true when it came to your ONLY daughter.

"Uchiha, we need to talk." Gaara says.

"I know." Sasuke says and by this time the other kids had snuck off.

"If your son hurts my daughter, I will bury him in my sand coffin." The red head says.

"I'd expect no less. I'd do the same thing if it was Emiko or Amaya." He says.

"Good. So we understand each other." He states.

"Agreed. Though you understand if you raised your hand or sand to my son, I'd have to try to kill you." Sasuke says in a far too cheerful voice, one that promised a painful death.

"I'd expect no less." The Kazekage agrees.

"Good. Glad we had this talk. Now if you'll excuse me, all my kids are going to be gone for a few hours. Hinata you wanna take advantage of that?" Sasuke asks.

Hinata blushes. Fucking adorable. She still blushed after over twenty years of being together. It was amazing really.

"Going to show off your Snake Summon? That's one of the perks of having only one kid. More alone time." Gaara says with a smirk and heads back to his wife.

Meanwhile, with Amaya and Daiki their training session was in full swing. Somehow, Daiki managed to get Amaya pinned. Of course, Aoda with his wonderful sense of timing showed up at that moment. He recognized that as a standard mating position for humans. So he felt it was his duty to offer advice.

"Remember spring is the best time to have hatchlings!" He says.

"What is he talking about?" Daiki asks.

"You don't want to know. AODA!" She yells at him and feels her face heating up.

"It's warm, but not too warm. Food is plentiful. Lots of time to prepare for winter." He continues.

"WE ARE NOT HAVING HATCHLINGS!" She says.

"Oh well yes, I suppose you are a bit young for hatchlings. But in a few years, trust me it is good advice." He says cheerfully.

"…The snake is giving parenting advice? Now I've seen everything." Daiki mutters.

Hinata smiles as she walks of with Sasuke. Once they get closer to their home, he scoops her up bridal style. It was a rare occasion when at least one of their kids wasn't visiting or at home, during the day. Amaya and Emiko still lived with them. Neji and Itachi had moved out but still visited regularly.

"I can't believe you still blush after over twenty years, kitten." Sasuke says as he sets her down on the kitchen counter top and kisses her.

"Mmm what did I say about calling me that?" She asks after returning the kiss.

"Well you didn't say much really. You just were a horrible tease and cuffed me." He muses.

"Do I need to do it again?" She asks.

"Well I do like to see your more aggressive side, but not being able to touch you, is murder." He murmurs into her ear and then kisses her neck.

"Mmm. You know, I still have that red kimono." She murmurs.

"Really?" Sasuke perks up at this.

Just then Charger comes bounding through the kitchen. The ancient dog was chasing an equally ancient cat. Sasuke had no idea how Charger was still alive or that damn cat.

"…" Sasuke says.

"…" Hinata agrees.

"You have to admire his persistence." Sasuke says with a laugh.

"Yes, you do." Hinata joins Sasuke in laughing at Charger's antics.

"You know I never did thank you." Sasuke muses.

"Thank me for what?" She asks.

"For giving me an opportunity to be happy." He says and caresses her cheek.

The touching moment was ruined when the cat went flying across the counter and Charger lived up to his name. Sasuke pulls Hinata out of the way, before she got shredded by that cat's vicious looking claws.

"And thank you for taking it." She replies.

"I love you. I might murder that damn dog though." Sasuke growls.

"I love you too and we both know you don't mean that." She says.

"Yeah…I don't. But he really needs to work on his timing." Sasuke says.

"That's true. So should I dust off that old red kimono?" She asks.

"Yes, yes you should." He says with a smirk.

Hinata saunters off to get the kimono. Sasuke admired the sway of his wife's hips, while she does so. When she came back she was wearing that kimono.

It was amazing really. She looked even more beautiful today than she had all those years ago. He felt his Sharingan bleed red. He did what any man would do when presented with such a lovely image, he pounced.

They made love the rest of the day. Sadly, the coffee table was a casualty of their passion. It was worth it though.

 _"Oh well that coffee table was ancient anyway." Itachi muses._

 _"…Were you spying on your little brother again?" Izumi asks._

 _"Of course I was spying. What kind of brother would I be if I didn't?" He responds._

 _"Please don't tell me you were watching them while they were…" She trails off._

 _"No! That would be sick. I observed others once it became clear they were about to couple." He says._

 _"Good to know that you have some small sliver of respect for his privacy." She chuckles._

 _"Just a sliver." He says._

 _"Of course, my love." She says and kisses his cheek._

 _"I see that our clan is experiencing quite the revival. Your name sake appears to be proposing." She observes._

 _"You know if they have kids, they might be responsible for the first red head Uchiha." He observes._

 _"Mhm. Well better a red head than a blonde. It looks like Neji is well on his way towards attempting to sire a blonde Uchiha." She says with a shudder._

 _Oh she approved of the girl. It was just everyone knew that the concept of a blonde Uchiha was blasphemy. It was just so wrong._

 _"One day they can all join us and go cloud dancing." She continues._

 _"I'd like that. I wonder if my foolish little brother can dance?" He says and tilts his head to the side as if considering this._

 _"If he can't, I'm sure that he can use the Sharingan and copy you." She points out._

 _"That would be cheating." Itachi says scandalized._

 _"Yes, yes it would. Do you think Sasuke would care?" She asks._

 _"No. He wouldn't. That's my foolish little brother for you." Itachi says._

Currently, Sasuke was laying next to his wife on the kitchen floor. He was trying to catch his breath, when he sneezes. Hinata laughs.

"Someone's talking about you." She says.

"Oh you don't really believe that old saying, do you?" He asks in amusement.

"I do." She says and kisses him.

"You are such a cute kitten, believing in fairytales like that." He muses.

"That's it! I'm getting out the cuffs." She says and darts off.

"Fuck! What did I just get myself into?" He asks.

He sighs. Oh well there were certainly worse fates than being teased by his beautiful wife. Sasuke was lucky, he knew. Despite everything, he had a family again. He smiles when he sees Hinata come back with the cuffs. Oh damn, she was actually serious? Sasuke gulps.

"You are in big trouble." Aoda says, peeking his head through the window.

"AODA, KNOCK NEXT TIME!" Sasuke growls and covers his lower half with a curtain.

"Aoda!" Hinata cries out and blushes deeply, also hiding behind the curtain.

"Humans are so sensitive about not wearing their disposable scales. I really don't understand it. Do you, my love?" He asks the other giant snake.

"No. I don't get it either. They are good humans though." She says.

"Very good humans. That's why we keep them." He agrees.

"You keep us?!" Sasuke asks in amusement.

"Yes. That's right. You and the hatchlings." He says.

Sasuke shakes his head. Only Aoda. Well he heads into a room without windows with Hinata. They could get some privacy there.

"Now where were we?" He asks.

"I was about to punish you for calling me a kitten again, when I specifically told you not to do so." She says.

"Oh…right. Easy there Hinata." He says and gulps.

"No. No. The kids are gone. We are alone. I have the cuffs. This is the perfect opportunity to remind you who is in charge here!" She says.

"Oh you're in charge?" Sasuke asks dryly.

"That's right. I gave birth to TWO sets of twins. That means what I say goes." She says firmly.

"I can't argue with that logic." He admits.

"Good!" She says, cuffs her husband, and proceeds to remind him that she was no longer a kitten, she was a tigress!


End file.
